Alonso’s ‘square one’ verdict confirmed in Honda’s major Monza admission

Honda has acknowledged the weakness Fernando Alonso flagged after Aston Martin’s Dutch Grand Prix weekend, piling urgency onto the team’s preparations for Monza.

Chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said improving the driveability of Honda’s second-specification power unit is the manufacturer’s “main aim” as Formula 1 heads to the Italian Grand Prix.

The admission now echoes Alonso’s blunt verdict on the new unit. The Aston Martin driver said the team had lost the driveability and gear-shift feel it had improved with the original engine, leaving it “back to square one” in key areas.

A ninth-place finish at Zandvoort brought points and evidence of progress, but did not disguise a problem Honda now accepts must be addressed.

Orihara said the updated engine met Honda’s internal expectations in its first race outing, but acknowledged room to improve how its performance is delivered. Extra performance means little if a driver cannot reliably exploit it through braking zones, corner entry, throttle application and gear changes.

At the Dutch GP, that lack of predictability complicated Aston Martin’s attempts to extract pace. Monza is an unforgiving place to arrive with those concerns unresolved. The circuit’s long straights and heavy braking zones make it one of the season’s most power-sensitive tests, while its chicanes demand confidence under braking and precise traction on exit.

Alonso has already warned that it could be among Aston Martin’s most difficult weekends, saying points may be beyond reach. Honda’s task is therefore not merely to find a headline power gain, but to ensure its existing performance is usable.

There is, however, a reason Aston Martin will approach Italy with optimism. Alonso has praised the direction of the team’s chassis development, arguing that a clear route forward has emerged after recent upgrades. The engine issue is consequently more defined than a broad performance deficit: Honda knows where it must improve, and Aston Martin has a benchmark for what the car can do when its systems work in harmony.

Orihara’s candid assessment turns Monza into a test of response. If Honda can restore the consistency Alonso says has been lost, Aston Martin may finally convert encouraging chassis progress into repeatable results. If not, the “square one” verdict will loom even larger at Formula 1’s Temple of Speed.