Fernando Alonso, difficult role in a key race for Honda: “We have worked intensely on the HRC test bench to improve this”
He himself warned Fernando Alonso and also Mike Krack, Aston Martin track manager: the ninth position of the Asturian in Zandvoort confirmed the great step forward of the new Aston Martin AMR26 from Newey due to its good aerodynamic load and brilliant tire management, but there will still be circuits where the car will have to suffer a lot. And one of them is this weekend, at the Italian GP, in Monza.
Honda presented a new engine in Zandvoort, and although they claim that it represents an increase in horsepower, The initial disadvantage of the engine compared to the rest was so great that it was impossible to recover so much ground.
So, Alonso will have a engine in Monza that is very far behind that of his rivals. And that, on a circuit called ‘the Temple of Speed’, full of straights, where 75% of the lap is with the pedal to the floor, and where the engines will suffer to regenerate energy, means that the same car that in Zandvoort took an enormous step, could be in the last positions again this weekend. On routes with so many straight lines and where the engine is the differential element, Aston Martin is going to be away again on a punctual basis.
It will be a difficult ballot for Fernando Alonso, who tWe will have to put the result aside and focus on helping Honda as much as possible with a very important job. inside the car for the Japanese to complete the long list of pending tasks that drag from Zandvoort with a single objective: to solve the initial problems of manageability so that the engine does exactly what the pilot requires and to be able to attack during the turn without surprises. This, with the final goal of being able to start extracting the full potential of the engine as for horses for the next appointments.
Honda’s duties at Monza
Honda’s duties on this track are many. In Zandvoortone of the engine’s initial problems was seen in the sprint classification, when Alonso braked at Turn 1 and his engine continued to push. Also, throughout the weekend, the communication between the engine and the gear changes was not good.
And yesAccording to the Japanese specialized media ‘Auto Sport Web’, there were more things to fix. He engine brake did not act as desired and even pushed the car into the curvethe behavior of the power delivery was very random in every curve and the general engine behavior was not predictableeven causing the wheels to skid. That makes it even more incredible that, under these conditions, Fernando Alonso could run a perfect race in Zandvoort to go from 18th to 9th to add some points that tasted like glory.
In that sense, The good news for Honda is that they have already been through this same thing. (or similar) with the previous version of the engine and they solved that situation, although after several races.
They are sure they have added more power with this new evolution that still needs to be unlocked and they must now resolve those drivability problems that they already solved with the first engine so that Alonso can attack with confidence, especially with the most powerful engine map, the qualifying one.
Alonso: clear objective
Alonso, after being 9th in Zandvoort, was excited about the evolution of the chassis, but asked for patience regarding the engine.
“With the engine we have to wait longer. I don’t think this weekend has given the result we expected. Maybe we don’t have that drivability, that gear change, everything that we had improved a little with the first engine, we have returned a little to the starting point in this second engine, so we have about two or three races ahead to optimize it,” he said. And the day before, he stressed that stopping the car while the engine was still pushing was impossible.
Maybe we don’t have that drivability, that gear change, everything that we had improved a little with the first engine, we have returned a little to the starting point in this second engine. We have some races to optimize it
And he warned of what will happen in Monza and the work that must be prioritized regarding the engine. “In the rest of the year there will be circuits where we do better than others. In Monza, I believe, the next one will be one of the worst, there will be no possibility of taking points, but we will try to at least improve this aspect of drivability,” he added.
For the rest of the year there will be circuits where we do better than others. I think Monza will be one of the worst, there will be no possibility of taking points, but we will try to improve the drivability
“In the engine it is more difficult, and it is not a black and white thing if you have more power or not. Handling is an aspect that varies when changing circuits after a month and it was difficult this weekend. We suffered in the downshifts and in the engine braking in the corner to corner, so it was difficult in that sense,” he previously told the English press.
Handling is an aspect that varies when changing circuits after a month and it was difficult this weekend. We suffered in the downshifts and in the engine braking in the curve to curve, so it was difficult in that sense
Honda arrives with adjustments
Thus, Honda will have to analyze the data from each session, apply changes and in turn, they will have to continue working from their headquarters in Sakura to find the solution to these problems as quickly as possible, although it is expected that this may take a couple of races.
At the same time, they must continue to find their maximum performance in terms of the difficult management of electrical energy, a crucial point on this track. They will have to optimize that area through software in matters such as energy regeneration and energy delivery. A lot of work that Honda recognizes.
And in that area, Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s track manager, assures that he comes with changes after intense work at his headquarters to improve.
“Our main objective at the Italian Grand Prix is to improve drivability. Since the Dutch Grand Prix, We have been working hard on the HRC Sakura dyno to improve this and specifically to achieve stable and consistent combustion control.. At Monza, we will confirm the effect of that work and make additional adjustments, which will give us greater competitiveness in the upcoming races.”
“Our main objective at the Italian Grand Prix is to improve drivability. At Monza, we will confirm the effect of the work done at Sakura and make additional adjustments, which will give us greater competitiveness in the upcoming races.
“We know that we are still behind in terms of power”
“Monza is a unique circuit with one of the highest maximum acceleration ratios on the 2026 calendar, with its long straights and only 11 corners. On this track, the way the limited energy is distributed in these sections becomes crucial, and this is especially accentuated in qualifying.”said Shintaro Orihara, Honda track manager, before this test.
“Lap times at Monza are very sensitive to power. With the introduction of our Spec 2 engine at Zandvoort, “We have taken a step forward in terms of performance, but we must be realistic going into next weekend, as we know that we are still behind our competitors in terms of total power.”added the Japanese, who set a clear goal for this weekend: to improve handling after all the work carried out on the Sakura test bench (Japan).
