Fernando Alonso gives Honda F1 project ambitious backing

Fernando Alonso says “I trust 100%” in Honda achieving the success it had with Red Bull as Aston Martin’s Formula 1 engine supplier.

Honda’s return to F1 as a manufacturer has been disastrous in 2026, with numerous reliability problems affecting its power units in the first half of the campaign.

The Japanese brand introduced its first major upgrade at the recent Dutch Grand Prix, with Alonso taking it to a ninth-place finish.

Alonso believes Honda is trending in the right direction and it can build a race-winning engine, mirroring what it did with Red Bull after a difficult stint with McLaren.

“Yes, 100%. I think it's a huge commitment from Honda,” he said on Thursday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

“You know, the facilities we have in Japan are one of the best.

“I think the personnel and the management of the power unit now has been reinforced as Honda said, and a lot of people that were in the previous project, they are in again on this one.

“So, I think I have no doubts, and I trust Honda 100%.

“We just need to shortcut somehow, you know, that process, you know?

“Unfortunately, we started on the wrong foot, and we started with with these set of regulations not at the level that we wanted, but I have no doubts that they will get there, you know?

“And, as I said many times, you know, we don't want to wait five years like they did last time, or six years.

“We want to do it in two years or three years maximum.”

Aston “can’t be happy” with P9

Alonso’s ninth-place finish was a marked improvement for Aston Martin, who also introduced a B-spec upgrade in Hungary before the summer break.

But Alonso says “no one is happy” within the team to score results like that, even if it does act as a boost for those behind the scenes.

“We cannot be happy just with P9, and I think no one is happy in the team,” he said.

“And, you know, it was a nice, nice boost for everyone knowing that, at least, the direction that we are taking is the right one.

“Because we changed a lot of things in the car since Budapest, and obviously, we know, or we feel that in the corners, we are getting in a much better place.

“So, that gives hope for everyone in Silverstone that if we keep on going on this philosophy and this strategy at this pace of development, eventually, we will be one of the fastest in the corners.

“So, we just, you know, we tick one of the boxes. Then, on the engine side, I think Zandvoort was, yeah, not a big improvement to be honest.

“The drivability was a problem, and the extra power was difficult to feel in Zandvoort.

“Maybe Monza is going to be a, you know, a more true test for the for the engine, but, you know, still a long way to go, and we need to improve on both ends, in chassis and on engine, for next year, and it's a must.

“So, that's the biggest thing.”