Honda shakes up F1 engine leadership amid disappointing start

Honda has changed the leadership of its Formula 1 engine programme after the Japanese manufacturer's disappointing start to its return to the sport this season.

Honda, who won four world titles with Red Bull and Max Verstappen from 2021-24, joined forces with Aston Martin as their works engine partner for 2026.

But the pair are 10th of 11 teams in the constructors' championship and have a best result of ninth for Fernando Alonso in the Dutch Grand Prix.

On Monday, Honda announced a new head of its engine development programme.

Yoichiro Fukao, the former deputy leader of the project, will become Large Project Leader of the F1 project.

He has replaced Tetsushi Kakuda, who has led power-unit development this season.

A statement said: "This organisational change is a planned transition designed to ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers."

"Following the introduction of the new regulations in 2026, and with further regulatory changes expected from 2027 onwards, Honda aims to establish a robust development framework and deliver a highly competitive PU by transitioning to the new structure at an early stage."

Honda introduced its first engine upgrade of the campaign at the Dutch Grand Prix.

But although head of trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara said Honda had "observed (a) step forward in terms of performance on our metrics", the step is said to have been small, and less than Aston Martin had expected.

The lack of performance of the Honda engine is said to be worth at least a second of lap time, adding up the losses from the performance of the internal combustion engine and the operation of the electrical system.

F1 engines in 2026 have a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, and efficiency in energy recovery is paramount when the batteries are almost completely deploying and recharging several times a lap.

Alonso was 2.2 seconds off the fastest time of the session when he was eliminated in the first part of qualifying at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.