Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe has opened up about the immense embarrassment felt within the Japanese manufacturer over their troubled 2026 Formula 1 season.
Watanabe, speaking to Japanese outlet Autosport Web, did not hold back in describing the impact of Honda’s disastrous start to their partnership with Aston Martin.
“Many people had high expectations of us, and we were shocked and our pride was severely wounded when we disappointed those expectations,” said Watanabe.
Honda’s new power unit caused serious problems for Aston Martin throughout the opening phase of the 2026 season, drawing widespread criticism from within and outside the paddock.
The situation was dramatically highlighted at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March, when Adrian Newey revealed the power unit produced vibrations severe enough to risk permanent nerve damage for drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Aston Martin effectively spent the first ten races of the season struggling far below the lofty expectations that surrounded the high-profile recruitment of Newey, widely regarded as F1’s foremost design genius.
A significant turning point came at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, where Aston Martin introduced a major upgrade package that considerably improved the performance of Newey’s chassis.
Honda followed with their own first power unit upgrade at the Dutch Grand Prix, and despite ongoing driveability issues, Alonso delivered a strong drive to ninth place to collect points.
Watanabe was candid about the limitations of the updated specification, warning supporters and stakeholders not to expect an instant transformation from the new engine.
“Since the basic structure of Spec 2 is the same as Spec 1, it’s merely an improved version of Spec 1,” he explained, adding that it has “not reached a fundamental solution to achieve our goals.”
He was clear that the competitive landscape has shifted since Honda set their original development targets, with the team now needing to close the gap on rivals rather than simply meet internal benchmarks.
“Introducing Spec 2 won’t magically solve everything,” Watanabe said, acknowledging that what they must strive for is catching up with their leading rivals rather than goals set before the season began.
Honda President Toshihiro Mibe has also been closely following the difficulties, with Watanabe revealing that Mibe is deeply engaged with the challenges facing the team.
“He knows a lot about development, so he understands the difficulties and tough situations that can arise,” Watanabe said of Mibe.
However, Watanabe made clear that Mibe is demanding more than an acceptance of the situation, pushing for a different approach to problem-solving within the organisation.
“He is quite critical of how we approach and solve those problems,” said Watanabe, noting that repeating old methods will not be enough to close the gap to Honda’s rivals.
Watanabe added that guidance from Mibe has proven valuable, with the Honda president offering high-level strategic perspective on how the team is tackling its challenges and planning future changes.