Montoya Predicts Aston Martin Will 'Shock Everybody' Once Honda Issues Are Resolved

Despite a disastrous start to the 2026 season plagued by Honda power unit reliability problems, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Aston Martin will dramatically turn its fortunes around and surprise the grid. He predicts significant progress will be visible after the summer break as the team works to optimize its new partnership with the Japanese manufacturer.

Why it matters:

Aston Martin's performance is a critical test of its new works team partnership with Honda, a union aimed at finally delivering championship-contending machinery. Their early struggles highlight the immense challenge of integrating a new power unit, but a recovery would validate the team's long-term project and potentially disrupt the established competitive order, proving they can overcome a major technical hurdle.

The details:

• The team's start has been notably difficult, failing to finish a race until the third round, where Fernando Alonso finished 18th.
• Juan Pablo Montoya, speaking in an interview, expressed strong belief in the team's underlying potential: "I still believe they're going to shock everybody once they figure all the issues out."
• He pinpointed the core challenge, stating, "The main issue seems to be on the Honda side," but suggested it's a matter of finding the correct operational window for the complex new power unit.
• Montoya also provided a key insight into the team's expectations, noting, "I think Aston believed that they were going to get what Red Bull had on power when Honda moved over." This indicates the team anticipated a more seamless transfer of performance.
• Parallel Racing Activity: Amidst the F1 struggles, driver Lance Stroll is scheduled to compete in the GT World Challenge Europe series at Circuit Paul Ricard, where he will face competition from a team involving Max Verstappen.

What's next:

Montoya has set a clear timeline for when observers should expect a turnaround, targeting the period after the summer break. "I think by the time we come back from the summer break, they're going to start looking better," he said, expressing long-term optimism for the team's ability to reverse its fortunes. The coming months will be a crucial development phase for Aston Martin and Honda to solve their reliability gremlins and unlock the potential they believe exists within the AMR26 package.