Honda's Koji Watanabe says reducing vibrations affecting budget and other developments

Aston Martin have yet to complete a race distance in 2026, as vibrations have been destroying their battery pack, and while they claim that was sorted, the vibrations are still affecting the drivers as they are transmitted through the steering wheel.

Speaking to GrandPrix247 at Suzuka, HRC boss Koji Watanabe said that Honda have prioritized solving the vibration that was damaging the battery pack, adding that they managed to reduce it to a certain level as work is still continuing to reduce the vibration that was affecting Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Watanabe also claimed that it was impossible to solve the issues completely without the support for the Aston Martin chassis team led by Enrico Cardile.

He also maintained that the relationship with Aston Martin remains good despite the difficulties.

Teams are allowed to develop their power units in 2026 based on the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO). Power units that are 2-4% off the best unit (Mercedes at the moment) are allowed one additional upgrade, while those more than 4% off are allowed two.

But that will be an issue for Honda, who are apparently spending quite an amount trying to sort out the vibration, with Watanabe pointing out that it will affect the other aspects of development.

He said: "To reduce the vibration, we have to spend the budget off course, but it is not good from the cost cap point of view."

Honda will be enduring a tough weekend in Japan in front of their home crowds, as they are still far from sorting out the issues but will be hoping to complete a race distance for the first time this weekend. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier from Suzuka)