Honda reflect on a tough Bahrain Formula 1 test with Aston Martin

The team were also woefully off the pace as even newcomers Cadillac managed faster laps over the course of the test, keeping in mind the new American team did not have a stellar showing themselves.

Having an engine that is not working will be detrimental to the Aston Martin's development process of the AMR26, as mileage is key to gathering data and understanding the car.

Aston Martin managed only 6 installation laps on the final day, while Honda were running tests at Sakura after a battery issue meant the car couldn't be driven for long runs, just short ones—they failed to even do that.

Reflecting on the test, Honda's Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, Shintaro Orihara said: “Our main target during this week’s test was to build up mileage on the power unit, check the engine reliability, and gather data.

"We collected data successfully; however, we didn’t achieve the accumulated mileage that we were targeting," he admitted, and then added: “On Thursday, we identified an issue in the power unit, and all of us have been uniting efforts to find a solution during our last day of testing.

"Overnight and today, HRC Sakura, the AMRTC in Silverstone, and our crews in Bahrain worked together on a limited run plan, which was jointly agreed considering a shortage of parts.

“It has been an enduring week, but we extend our thanks to the team for their support trackside and everyone working in Japan and the UK remotely.

"Overall, we are not happy with our performance and our reliability at the moment. However, we are all looking for solutions together in Sakura, Milton Keynes, and Silverstone," the Honda engineer concluded.

Honda's troubles are mind boggling and remind us of their disastrous start to the first V6 turbo-hybrid era with McLaren back in 2015.

While they bounced back when joining forces with Red Bull, delivering quite a competitive power unit that powered Max Verstappen to four consecutive F1 Titles, the Japanese manufacturer seems to have fallen short yet again.