Honda announces F1 power unit leadership structure changes
Honda announces changes to its F1 power unit leadership structure.
Honda has announced a change of leadership structure for its F1 power unit development programme.
The reorganisation, which is described by Honda as being a "planned transition", will see current deputy leader of the project Yoichiro Fukao takeover as large project leader at the Japanese manufacturer, which supplies the Aston Martin F1 team.
Fukao will succeed Tetsushi Kakuda, who has led the Honda F1 power unit project, starting from 1 October. Fukao joined Honda in 2002 and has worked himself up the leadership structure, assuming his current position in 2022.
"Honda Racing Corporation will implement a change in the leadership of its F1 Power Unit (PU) development programme, effective October 1st, 2026, with the aim of further accelerating PU development and ensuring a smooth transition to the next generation of engineers," a Honda statement read.
"Yoichiro Fukao, currently serving as Assistant LPL (Deputy Leader of the F1 Project, Head of the Software Division), will assume the role of LPL (Large Project Leader), succeeding Tetsushi Kakuda, who has led the PU development to date.
"This organisational change is a planned transition designed to ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers.
"Following the introduction of the new regulations in 2026, and with further regulatory changes expected from 2027 onwards, Honda aims to establish a robust development framework and deliver a highly competitive PU by transitioning to the new structure at an early stage."
The changes come amid a miserable F1 season for Aston Martin and Honda, who failed to capitalise on engine regulation changes introduced for 2026.
Fernando Alonso finished only 17th at his second home F1 race at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, while Lance Stroll retired with brake issues.
Honda introduced an upgraded engine at the recent Dutch Grand Prix, but it has failed to significantly improve Aston Martin's fortunes.
“Today’s result isn’t what we wanted, but we need to look at the learnings and improvement points that we can take forward to future races," said Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara.
“Over the past three races we’ve improved the driveability of our spec 2 power unit, which was introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix. By reducing the driveability issue, we can now focus on the performance side.
"This weekend, for example, we changed some calibrations to improve this aspect and session-by-session we saw some good signs in the data. This shows us all that we are working in the right direction.”
Aston Martin sits 10th in the constructors' championship with three points and is ahead of only F1 newcomers Cadillac.
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