F1 fans, get ready—because a massive shake-up is brewing in the paddock, and it involves one of the most struggling teams on the grid right now. Honda has just dropped the news that they’ve pushed their development budget to the limit, delivering a game-changing power unit upgrade to Aston Martin just in time for the Dutch Grand Prix.
It’s been a rough season for the Silverstone-based squad. With only a single point scored between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in the first half of 2026, Aston Martin is sitting dead last among the major teams—10th in the constructors’ standings, ahead of only Cadillac. The struggles have come from both the chassis and the power unit, with early reports of vibrations so severe they risked nerve damage to the drivers’ hands.
But here’s where the rules come into play. F1’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system gives struggling engine manufacturers a chance to catch up. Since Honda’s power unit was more than 4% behind the best-performing engine, they qualified for extra upgrades—two this season and two more in 2027.
And now they’ve maxed out that budget.
According to Honda’s official announcement, the updated RA626H power unit brings increased power through improvements to the internal combustion engine, plus minor upgrades to the battery and other components. They said they made “maximum use” of the development budget and bench-testing time allowed under the ADUO system.
This upgrade follows a major overhaul of the AMR26 chassis at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which had already boosted the team’s competitiveness. Combined with the new Spec 2 power unit, Honda believes Aston Martin will now have the performance to challenge for points in the midfield battle.
All eyes will be on Zandvoort to see if this upgrade actually delivers on the promise. Could this be the turning point for Alonso and Stroll—or will the struggles continue?
