- Honda has handed over responsibility for the F1 power unit program to Fukao Yoichiro from 1 October.
- 2026 Honda power unit is facing power and reliability issues.
- After the poor performance of Aston Martin, Honda has prepared a strong technical leadership for future development.
Honda has announced a major change in the leadership of its power unit development program as Formula 1 struggles to meet expectations under the new 2026 regulations. Effective October 1, Fukao Yoichiro will assume the role of Large Project Leader from the Deputy Leader position he currently holds. He will replace Tetsushi Kakuda who has been watching the show so far.
Responsibility to the new generation of engineers
According to Honda, this change is not a sudden decision but part of a planned transition to ensure that technical skills and experience are properly passed on to the next generation of engineers. After the new norms implemented in 2026, the nature of power unit development has changed. With further changes in regulations expected from 2027, Honda wants to build a strong development system from the start. The company is trying to create a competitive power unit from it in the future.
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To Aston Martin 2026 major difficulties in
Honda currently supplies Aston Martin with F1 power units. But in the 2026 season, this partnership has not met with the expected success. Aston Martin's car lags behind its rivals in terms of speed and reliability. Honda's power units have also experienced lack of power and reliability issues. This has affected the overall performance of the team.
Aston Martin's poor position in the standings
Until the Spanish Grand Prix, Aston Martin was the only team above newcomer Cadillac in the standings. Fernando Alonso has 3 points in 2 races, while Lance Stroll has yet to score a single point. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Stroll was unable to finish the race due to brake problems. Alonso finished the race, but finished 17th, 2 laps behind the winner.
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Fukao's vast experience
Fukao Yoichiro has been with Honda since 2002. He initially worked on the development of engine and gearbox control systems. He also contributed to Honda's MotoGP program between 2009 and 2011. He then returned to the F1 project, focusing on the development of hybrid systems. He became deputy leader of the F1 project in 2017 and again in 2022. So under the new leadership, Honda's F1 power unit is expected to improve.