Photo: RacePictures

F1 expert details why Honda required a ‘kick up the ass’ amid Aston Martin woes

18:01, 23 Feb

byTobia Elia

Historic F1 designer Gary Anderson has shared his thoughts on Aston Martin’s difficult start to the season.

"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"

- Gary Anderson

Anderson previously worked with Honda during the final phase of his time at Jordan, when — while he was serving as technical director — the Japanese manufacturer supplied the team with Mugen-Honda MF-310HC engines in 1998, before switching to Stewart the following year.

In a column for The Race, the British engineer argued that a “kick up the ass” was exactly what Honda needed, pointing to the lack of reliability shown in Bahrain — with just 128 laps completed over the final three days of testing — and a power unit that currently appears to lag behind its rivals.

"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.

Photo: Race Pictures

"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."

According to Anderson, however, Honda will remain a power unit manufacturer without equal once it fully understands where to intervene and begins taking the necessary steps to close the gap and move back to the front.

"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."

Aston Martin rely on two major assets after troubled start to 2026 season

Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa offered his assessment following a challenging double testing programme in Bahrain for the British outfit.

After a difficult start to the season, the team is aiming to lean on its extensive resources — from the cutting-edge Silverstone facility to the wealth of engineering talent within the organisation — in an effort to quickly reverse its fortunes.

Read the full story here.