Aston Martin gave the Formula 1 paddock its first glimpse of Honda’s revised power unit on Wednesday, running the upgraded engine at the Hungaroring as part of a post-race filming day.
The session, conducted in the days following the Hungarian Grand Prix, saw the new Honda unit installed in the Silverstone-based squad’s B-spec AMR26 chassis – the same package that marked a step forward for Aston Martin last time out, with Fernando Alonso reaching Q2 and Lance Stroll following up with a P13 finish on race day.
Footage of the car on track quickly circulated on social media, giving fans an early look at the pairing that Honda hopes will move Aston Martin closer to the midfield’s front end.
Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara, has been managing expectations carefully, stating previously that the manufacturer is aiming for what he called a “reasonably big step, rather than a small step” in output.
Speaking at the Hungaroring, Orihara explained the value of using the filming day to test the new engine ahead of its competitive introduction:
Aston Martin przy okazji dnia filmowego na Węgrzech sprawdza dziś ulepszoną jednostkę napędową Hondy, która ma zostać wdrożona do użytku od GP Holandii. Film zapożyczony z profilu: Red Flag Crew. #F1PL #ElevenF1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/gNOJVR8J3Z
— Mateusz Mróz (@MateuszMrz8) July 29, 2026
“It is a good opportunity to check the new power unit in the new chassis, by using the filming day. 200 kilometres — that is a good opportunity to check how the new engine works in the chassis.”
The upgraded unit is scheduled to make its competitive debut in Aston Martin’s B-spec AMR26 at the Dutch Grand Prix, the first race back after the summer break.
Team principal Adrian Newey has also confirmed further chassis developments are in the pipeline, with updates expected at Zandvoort and again around the Monza/Baku double-header.
Aston Martin were not alone in Hungary this week — Audi and Alpine also took part in a separate Pirelli tyre test running alongside the filming day.
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