Honda's trackside manager and chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara has confirmed that the much-anticipated upgraded engine will debut at Zandvoort.

Quite whether it will be enough to lift the struggling Aston Martin team remains to be seen, but it is surely a start following its dreadful start to the season.

Ahead of the new engine's introduction, the Japanese manufacturer will use this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, and the subsequent event in Hungary, to acquire valuable data for the new power unit.

This weekend's race, which will test energy management to the limit, will hopefully prove particularly useful to Honda.

"Spa is home to the longest track on the 2026 calendar," said Orihara, "and it's also one of the most popular amongst drivers and fans.

"It's a technical circuit for the drivers, with complex corner sections," he added. "The combination of long straights and high-speed corners makes it a very challenging circuit for the engineers too, both to predict throttle application and looking at energy deployment over the course of the lap.

"We have two more races before we introduce the new engine," he confirmed. "It's important to keep learning with this current spec, so we can take those energy deployment findings into future races, like Monza, where we also have the long straights."

However, Spa could provide another vital test... the weather. Thus far, despite the predictions, all nine races have been held in the dry, however, in terms of changeable weather conditions, the Belgian track has history.

"An added unknown is the changeable weather conditions at the circuit," he admitted. "At Silverstone it remained dry, so Spa could be the first time where we have proper wet conditions in a session. In terms of the weather, anything can happen here."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by RP, 16/07/2026 14:51

"BTW, in the picture I can't tell if Alonso is smiling or gritting his teeth"

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2. Posted by RP, 16/07/2026 14:48

"So Honda discussed its engine upgrade then quickly segued to the complexity of the track for the drivers, the fickle weather and more data collection for the new engine development. Wow! I sure know a lot now than I did five minutes ago. Is the new engine 3 kg lighter, does it produce 7% more power, has the source of the vibrations been mitigated completely? Anything, Mr. Orihara? Why don't you just cut and paste these remarks and where he says "We gave two more races....", just change it to "We have one more race...". The chief engineer and that's all he has. Hopefully, Lawrence Stroll has a little more information than the fans get. Bitconin might provide better odds, or better yet, when F1 returns to Vegas, bring a few billon for the craps table. "

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Honda confirms Zandvoort upgrade

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