Honda is tackling its most critical shortfall—engine output—before the Dutch Grand Prix with the first ADUO upgrade of the 2026 season.
Honda Targets Engine Power Ahead of Zandvoort
The Japanese team’s new power‑unit package is the cornerstone of the scheduled Zandvoort overhaul, as chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the most straightforward improvement would be to raise combustion strength. “Without improving our combustion engine performance, nothing else will help,” Orihara told Motorsport.com.
Orihara added that once the targeted horsepower gap is narrowed, the team will “optimize some other small areas.” Concrete expectations for the upgrade are a gain of up to 30 bhp, a figure that places manufacturers sporting current “spec 2” engines in a competitive footing.
Aston Martin Slashes Chassis Gap in Hungary
While Aston Martin verified a progress on the chassis front in Hungary, the impact on outright race pace remains modest. Paceteq data from the Hungaroring shows a 2.034‑second deficit per lap versus rivals, a sharp drop from the >5‑second wandering seen at Silverstone and Spa that day. Longer, more “power‑unit dependent” tracks magnify existing disparities.
In that context, the Hungaroring showed that structural adjustments can tune the racing line but engine numbers still keep the team at a disadvantage.
First ADUO Upgrade Aims to Boost Combustion Output
Honda’s ADUO package focuses entirely on the internal‑combustion system, acknowledging that “our engine performance is definitely poor compared to other manufacturers.” Orihara explained that the compact power‑unit design requires significant increases to challenge the top six.
He said the update centres on “getting back to the racing field” so that “10 milliseconds or 20 milliseconds” can become decisive as the teams trim the performance envelope of the new spec.
Drivability Calibrations for New Spec Engines
The switch to the spec 2 engine demands a fresh emphasis on drivability—the feeling a driver has from power delivery. Orihara noted that “engine behaviour will change in the cornering phase as well” and that the team is revising its drive‑ability profile to match increased cornering speeds.
Despite the challenge, Orihara stressed that lessons from the first half of the season translate directly into the new baseline: “We developed an optimized way for drivability before. We will introduce our new engine and apply that knowledge.”
Energy Management Will Depend on Combustion Leaders
Besides raw horsepower, Honda is fine‑tuning its energy‑management strategy. Orihara cautioned that “improving energy management, that doesn’t help if the engine performance is poor.” Hence, any efficiency gains are secondary to increasing torque output.
When rising power is solved, energy‑management refinements will still be pursued but will become less critical on the racing front.
As the season advances, Honda’s first ADUO upgrade will be the litmus test for its ambition to close the gap to the power‑unit champions and recalibrate a drivability package that supports the team’s speedier chassis dynamics.
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