Honda and Aston Martin deny meeting over a ultimatum from Lawrence Stroll to the Japanese
Koji Watanabe assures that Lawrence Stroll never threatened to change engine supplier if Honda does not provide a competitive power unit in 2027. Adrian Newey confirms that the meeting was scheduled and admits that the Japanese still need to make progress.
The partnership between Honda and Aston Martin is facing its first year under the 2026 regulations with the challenge of improving the performance of the Japanese power unit. The manufacturer needs to resolve the issues with its new engine, while the Silverstone team works to become a candidate for victories in the medium term.
It is not surprising, therefore, that rumors have arisen about a possible breakup of the agreement if Honda does not meet Aston Martin's expectations in 2027. And the meeting involving executives from both companies after the Singapore Grand Prix fueled those speculations due to the presence of Lawrence Stroll and Toshihiro Mibe, president of Honda.
However, Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), denies that the Canadian businessman issued an ultimatum. Adrian Newey also clarified that the meeting was planned in advance and acknowledged that Honda is behind the level it had reached when it started working with Red Bull Racing.
Honda denies that Lawrence Stroll threatened to change engine supplier
Watanabe explained that the meeting was part of the so-called Steering Committee, a follow-up committee chaired by himself and Adrian Newey. He details that the composition of the group depends on the matters to be addressed and brings together technical and executive leaders from both organizations.
«This is a periodic meeting between HRC and Aston Martin that we call Steering Committee. Adrian Newey and I are the chairs of that committee. The attendees varied depending on the issues to be discussed», he explains.
The Japanese official details that, from Aston Martin, Enrico Cardile, technical director, and Andy Cowell, executive director, can participate, in addition to Newey. Representing HRC, Fukao, the new LPL, and Satoshi Nada, newly appointed executive director and head of four-wheel competition, can attend.
The presence of Stroll and Mibe also had an explanation related to the agenda of the meeting, according to Watanabe. «Lawrence Stroll does not always attend, but this time he was at the Singapore GP and participated in the meeting. Occasionally, Toshihiro Mibe, president of Honda, also attends. Since Stroll's presence was expected this time, Mibe also participated».
Therefore, the HRC leader presents the meeting as part of the usual coordination between both companies, not as a meeting motivated by a threat of breakup. When directly asked about the rumors, he is clear: «There is absolutely nothing to that».
Watanabe explains that Stroll's request is for Honda to achieve the competitiveness necessary for Aston Martin to fight for the top positions as soon as possible. «What Lawrence is saying is that he wants us to make a power unit capable of bringing them to the top as soon as possible. It seems like a completely logical request to me and we share that same objective», he states.
The Japanese denies that the owner of Aston Martin has conditioned the continuity of the partnership on the results of the upcoming season: «But at no time has he ever told us that, if we do not achieve this in 2027, he would change our power unit for that of another manufacturer».
The relationship between both manufacturers does require technical advances. Watanabe points out that discussions include working on the 2026 engine and projects for the next season. «In the technical area, for example, we can no longer introduce hardware updates in the 2026 power unit. That is why we analyze to what extent and how we can improve drivability through changes in the software».
The HRC president adds that they also review the progress of the development for 2027 periodically, not only of the power unit but also of the car and its chassis.
Newey acknowledges that Honda is behind its time with Red Bull
Adrian Newey has confirmed that the meeting was not an extraordinary call to address the situation of the engine. The technical manager and director of Aston Martin emphasizes that these meetings have a regular frequency and that the participants do not always attend in person.
«Well, first of all, that was a scheduled meeting. Between Honda and Aston Martin, the so-called high-level executive meetings are held, which are scheduled every two to three months, so that was one of them. The others, including myself, participated online», he explains.
Regarding Honda's work, Newey maintains confidence in the capabilities of the Japanese manufacturer, although he acknowledges that its current situation is behind what it had when it began collaborating with Red Bull Racing in 2019.
«Honda is obviously working hard. It is a great company, as we all know, capable of doing great things, as it has demonstrated many times in the past. We are working closely with them and have high hopes for the future», he states.
The British engineer also makes a direct comparison between the two periods of Honda in Formula 1. His assessment is that, in this first year of return, the manufacturer has still not reached the level of preparation it had when it started its collaboration with Red Bull, which came after four seasons of accumulated experience since its return to the championship in 2015.
«I would say that, at this moment, being completely honest, Honda is a little behind where it was when it started working with Red Bull Racing in 2019. But that happened, obviously, four seasons after Honda returned for the first time to Formula 1, in 2015. This is their first year back», Newey acknowledges.
The Brit concludes by expressing his conviction that Honda will be able to progress as it gains experience with the technical demands of the current regulations: «I have full confidence that it will progress quickly and will understand the problems posed by this specific regulations of the power units».
Honda has already announced that it has planned two major evolutions of its power unit for 2027: one at the first race of the year and another for June.
* This news is an AI translation of the original content. Motenic.com is part of Motor.es.
Fuente: As-web.jp | FIA