Honda turns the screw on 2026: fresh PU teaser drops as Aston Martin’s AMR26 countdown begins
An artist’s impression of the unreleased Aston Martin AMR26 car: https://d3cm515ijfiu6w.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/11115332/aston-martin-amr26-f1-2026-concept-car-livery-1320×742.png — livery concept by Shaurya Nayar (Instagram: shauryanayar.design)
Honda has slipped out another look at its 2026 Formula 1 power unit, keeping the spotlight firmly on its reunion tour as Aston Martin’s new works partner. With an engine-launch event set for January 20 in Tokyo and the AMR26 due on February 9, the drip-feed is doing exactly what it’s meant to: stoke the curiosity, and the pressure.
This latest social post follows a run of carefully managed reveals: first the audio clip of the 2026 powertrain, then silhouetted visuals shown around the Tokyo Auto Salon. Now we’ve got a clearer—if still coy—teaser image as Honda warms up for the new era with Aston Martin after closing out its wildly successful spell with Red Bull at the end of last season.
Strip away the hype, and the message from Sakura is intentionally grounded. Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe has been refreshingly blunt about the build-up to 2026: progress is real, but it isn’t clean. “Not everything is going well,” he told Japan’s Sportiva. It’s a line you don’t often hear in launch-season gloss, followed immediately by the crucial caveat: nothing “fatal,” and nothing they can’t overcome.
That’s the tone behind the scenes: steady, iterative, and focused on the hits that matter most—performance and reliability. Watanabe also nodded to the chassis side of the marriage, saying Aston Martin “wants to keep building cars that reflect Adrian [Newey]’s vision,” and that Honda’s job now is adapting the power unit to that concept to maximise competitiveness. The subtext is obvious: integration will decide whether this partnership threatens the front, or merely flatters to deceive.
There’s also time pressure. “Frankly, we still need more time,” Watanabe admitted, describing the development loop as a familiar balancing act—integrate, measure, learn, repeat. Some components stick the landing. Others fall over unexpectedly. That’s the reality of a big regulation pivot.
And make no mistake, 2026 looms as a hard reset. The governing body has called engine bosses to the table on January 22 to go over technical matters tied to the new power units, with whispers in the paddock about a compression-ratio loophole reportedly flagged by rival manufacturers. The FIA wants alignment before this drifts into a full-blown grey-zone war—a smart move, given the stakes of a ruleset that will define the competitive order for years.
For Aston Martin, this is the moment the project becomes tangible. The AMR26 reveal is the headline date, but the real heartbeat is in Tokyo this month. After officially exiting F1 at the end of 2021 but staying under the hood with Red Bull, Honda’s return as a full-works supplier puts Aston Martin on a very different footing for 2026. The intent is clear: build around a factory engine, shape the car around the power unit, and go hunting.
You won’t find any victory laps in Honda’s messaging yet—and that’s wise. The teasers are doing their PR job, sure, but the candour about bumps in the road tells you they know exactly where the bar is. The modern F1 midfield doesn’t hand out grace periods, and the top doesn’t wait.
Key dates to circle:
– January 20: Honda’s 2026 engine launch in Tokyo
– January 22: FIA technical meeting with all engine manufacturers on 2026 matters
– February 9: Aston Martin AMR26 launch
The noise will get louder from here. For now, Honda’s latest snapshot says enough: the parts are coming together, the rhetoric is restrained, and the clock is very much ticking.
