Honda's 2026 F1 engine suffers from damaging 'abnormal vibrations'

Honda's brand-new 2026 Formula 1 power unit has been crippled by destructive "abnormal vibrations" that damaged its battery system during pre-season testing, severely limiting running for its new works partner Aston Martin. The issue has forced the team to drastically cut its on-track program, leaving it with a significant performance and data deficit heading into the season opener in Australia.

Why it matters:

This crisis strikes at the heart of Aston Martin and Honda's ambitious new works partnership, which was designed to propel the team into championship contention. With Aston Martin as Honda's sole F1 partner for the new 2026 regulations, the development setback impacts both equally, threatening to derail their competitive ambitions before the season even begins. The problem appears to be a complex, systemic resonance issue rather than a simple faulty part, suggesting a potentially lengthy fix.

The details:

• The violent vibrations within the power unit caused direct damage to the car's battery system, which was the primary reason for stopping running during testing.
• Aston Martin completed just 2,115 km across two test weeks in Barcelona and Bahrain—barely a third of the mileage logged by top teams like Mercedes and Ferrari.
• On the final day in Bahrain, the team was limited to only six installation laps after exhausting its supply of spare batteries, all sacrificed to the engine's harmonics.
• Honda's Ikuo Takeishi stated the car was stopped because continuing was deemed "dangerous," though not due to an imminent accident.
• The issue is described as a "perfect storm" of physics where the engine and chassis are failing to coexist harmoniously. Investigations and countermeasures are being run simultaneously on both the power unit and chassis side.
• Takeishi indicated this is a multi-component mystery, with multiple parts interacting to generate the problematic vibration. He warned that fixing one part alone may not resolve it, admitting the situation could "drag on."

What's next:

The immediate fallout means Aston Martin will likely start the season compromised, possibly needing to turn down engine power or avoid curbs to protect the battery. Honda's internal goal is to reduce the vibrations before the Australian Grand Prix but acknowledges that getting the car into a truly competitive state may take until the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in April. Despite the severity, Honda bosses maintain they are working as "one team" with Aston Martin ownership and new technical recruit Adrian Newey to find a solution, emphasizing a long-term partnership focus. The pressure is now on to deliver a reliable fix before the performance gap to rivals becomes insurmountable.