Aston Martin and Honda have endured an absolute horror show through the first half of 2026. The partnership arrived at the season with a dodgy chassis, a clunky gearbox, and a power unit that's both sluggish and unreliable. Things got so bad that technical chief Adrian Newey had what can only be described as a nuclear moment at the Australian Grand Prix, brutally criticizing Honda while sitting next to its representative and raising concerns about driver safety from vibrations. It turns out Honda's F1 division was essentially rebuilt from scratch after the company left and came back, something that really should've been sorted before the season kicked off.

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The team's decision to hold off on new aerodynamic packages until Hungary proved disastrous as rivals improved early in the new regulation cycle. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were left limping around circuits, sometimes four or five seconds off the pace. The only bright spot came at Monaco when Alonso scraped a point, largely because the chaos around him delivered penalties to faster cars. For weeks on end, there was virtually no hope of scoring points. Newey was pulled from the media spotlight after his Australia tirade, with team principal Mike Krack handling all the press duties instead.

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Then Hungary happened. The update package finally arrived and while the Hungaroring's characteristics did expose Honda's power unit weakness, both drivers suddenly looked competitive in the lower midfield. Alonso made Q2 and the team was no longer completely hopeless. Being the eighth- or ninth-fastest car isn't where Aston Martin wanted to be, but it's infinitely better than being two seconds adrift like before. The data correlated perfectly with predictions too, suggesting the development path is solid for the future.

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Honda's bringing one more substantial upgrade to Zandvoort after the summer break, though the Japanese manufacturer has already tempered expectations. The real question now surrounds Fernando Alonso's future. His renaissance came to a grinding halt this season and he's been critical of the regulations, though it's hard to judge any driver fairly when your car's that uncompetitive. Lance Stroll's hit 200 grand prix starts remarkably, surpassing legends like Alain Prost and Mika Hakkinen. There's genuine belief that with the resources and talent at base, this project can succeed long term, but getting back to Q3 and regular points finishes would count as a decent finish to 2026.

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