Honda has confirmed that the new power unit with the ADUO system remains on the development schedule and is set to debut at the Dutch GP, after the Formula 1 summer break. The expectation is that the update will help Aston Martin take a step forward in the second half of the season.
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The British team faced a difficult start to the championship and focused its development efforts on the final stretch of the year. According to Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s general manager of track operations, the new set is already in dynamometer testing before being taken to Zandvoort.
“At the moment, our engine for the Netherlands is on the dynamometer to carry out tests before taking it to the Netherlands. I think the progress is good. I’m not saying the performance is already at the maximum level, but progress is happening exactly as planned. We are excited to take this new power unit to the Netherlands,” he told GPblog.
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When asked if the data obtained so far matches the expectations of the Japanese manufacturer, Orihara confirmed that the results are as expected. “So far, yes. From what we understand, progress is happening exactly as we expected,” he highlighted.
The executive also explained that Honda is still working on one of the final points of the project before the update’s debut: drivability. “This is still a work in progress. The final phase of the project is precisely to improve drivability. We are working intensively to find the best way to offer better drivability with this new power unit,” he concluded.
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