Honda announce leadership change over Aston Martin F1 power unit development

Effective from October 1, Honda Racing Corporation's (HRC) current Deputy Leader of the F1 project, Yoichiro Fukao will step up to assume the LPL role (Large Project Leader), succeeding Tetsushi Kakuda, who has so far led development on the Japanense manufacturer's F1 power unit.

In a statement on Monday morning announcing the leadership change HRC have said the organisational change to their PU programme aims to "ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers."

Honda add: "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."

Having joined Honda's F1 programme in 2002 as part of their engine and gearbox control systems development, Fukao went on to work on the manufacturer's Moto GP programme in 2009, as well as their development of mass-production hybrid systems. In 2014, Fukao returned to F1, serving as Honda's control system development manager before taking current role as deputy leader of the F1 project in 2017.

Honda and Aston Martin's struggles with the 2026 engine are well known at this stage - arriving at the season-opener in Melbourne with extreme vibration issues, legendary designer turned team principal Adrian Newey and the Japanese engine suppliers have struggled to turn poor performance from the start of the season around, despite having previously won titles together at Red Bull.

The British team sit P10 in the Constructors' standings, only behind new team Cadillac. While improvements have been made to both the power unit and the AMR26's aerodynamic package on either side of F1's August break, their latest result at the Spanish GP - a DNF for Lance Stroll and P19 for Fernando Alonso - proves there is still a whole lot of work to do.

Reflecting on the inaugural Spanish GP at the Madring, Honda's Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, Shintaro Orihara, was nonetheless confident that the engine supplier is "working in the right direction."

In a statement published to social media, Orihara said: "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.