Former Formula 1 technical guru Gary Anderson has backed Honda and Aston Martin to overcome its current woes, saying the Japanese marque will heed the “kick up the ass” the Bahrain test gave it.
The Japanese marque and the Silverstone-based squad have joined up in an exclusive PUM deal, heralding the former’s return to the sport, after exiting at the end of 2021.
Coupled with the new car being designed by Adrian Newey, there was naturally an air of excitement about the AMR26’s prospects.
But the growing pains of Aston’s new necessity to build its own components, such as its gearbox – something not required when a Mercedes PU customer – and Honda’s own issues with the engine has left a downcast projection for 2026.
With Lance Stroll’s assessment that four seconds of pace needs to be found, it looks as if the Canadian and team-mate Fernando Alonso will be closer to the new teams, Cadillac and Audi, than its usual rivals.
Anderson has his own experiences of dealing with Honda, when, under the Mugen-Honda moniker, it supplied engines to Jordan, for which the Northern Irishman designed its cars.
Writing for The Race, Anderson explained that, despite having left Jordan due to some of the issues that arose with Honda, the organisation’s mentality will enable Aston to be well-placed to overcome its current issues.
“For Aston Martin, the problems are not dissimilar [from his own experiences],” he wrote. “The car on the circuit doesn’t look great, the drivers on the radio and behind the scenes are obviously complaining about everything, but mainly highlighting the driving and handling problems.
“Until you have a really bad day like Aston Martin had at the end of testing when running was limited to a few out and in laps, Honda would have thought improvement was potentially just around the corner.
“You could probably say the same about the problems it had with McLaren, particularly in 2015 and 2017.
“Once Honda reacts, there will be no power unit manufacturer better or faster at taking the required steps.
“It just needs that kick up the ass to get it going. And I think everyone at Sakura just had that.”
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