Honda power unit upgrade to Zandvoort for F1 Dutch Grand Prix

Honda is set to bring a much-needed power unit upgrade to the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, following Aston Martin’s revitalised upgrades in Hungary.

Feature image credit: Pirelli

Last time out, in Hungary, Aston Martin debuted their latest development package in a bid to close the significant gap to their rivals. The team brought no fewer than 16 upgrades to their AMR26 to Budapest.

However, that was just the first half of the improvements, as Honda did not have their upgraded power unit ready for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

That changes this weekend as the Japanese power unit manufacturer will bring their much-needed upgrade to Zandvoort for the final Dutch Grand Prix, before it drops off the calendar next season.

The new power unit has already seen some on-track action, having taken part in a filming day after the Hungarian event and a Pirelli tyre test.

Dutch Grand Prix: Full starting times ahead of F1 sprint weekend

It has been a troubled season for the Aston Martin team. Their car has been one of the most uncompetitive and unreliable on the grid this year.

They managed limited runs during pre-season testing, with power unit problems hindering their run plans. And this problem did not stop as they entered the season, with the car suffering severe vibrations, with it being suspected that it could cause nerve damage to both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll after prolonged use.

However, there looks to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Silverstone-based team.

With the car upgrades, Alonso managed to make his first Q2 appearance of the season in Budapest, qualifying 16th for the grand prix, two seconds off the pole-setting time of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

This was a significant improvement after the team were five seconds slower in qualifying in the race prior, the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Dutch Grand Prix will get F1 back underway this weekend with the season resumption, on August 21-23.

Read more Formula 1 here:

Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.