Ben Sulayem promises change, Honda stays calm
“There is no way we are going to let Fernando leave.” Mohammed Ben Sulayem said it in Madrid, at the New Economy Forum, after sitting down with Fernando Alonso to work through the 2026 rules.
The FIA president wants to move fast. He says he has spoken to Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin’s owner, and he is talking up rule changes. Any adjustment still has to clear a vote from the governing bodies.
Honda is not getting swept along. Shintaro Orihara, chief engineer at the Japanese manufacturer, pushed back on the comments this morning. “I do not know if he thinks that, so I do not think he can bring us any magic,” he said.
Try it for $0.99.
More than 4% off Red Bull Powertrains
The numbers explain the tension. Honda sits among the suppliers measured at more than 4% behind the benchmark combustion engine, the Red Bull Powertrains unit. Cross that threshold and you earn two extra homologation periods. The ADUO system already hands extra development time to manufacturers who are behind.
Aston Martin are paying for it this season. Three points since the 2026 campaign started. That is the figure Alonso is staring at while he weighs up his future.
Orihara would rather talk about the work. No major upgrade is coming before the end of the year, and the engine maker is leaning on calibration to find lap time. “We believe there is still room to improve by changing the calibration,” he said.
Baku, and the first triple-header of the year
F1 heads to Azerbaijan next. The Baku street circuit opens the season’s first triple-header, and Honda turn up with something to build on, at least according to their engineer.
“We are moving in the right direction when you look at the progress in handling in Monza and Madrid,” Orihara explained. Two very different tests, two steps forward. The plan now is to stack small gains in energy management and engine settings.
Toto Wolff, for his part, saw nothing odd in Alonso’s approach. The Mercedes boss reckoned the talks with Ben Sulayem made sense given where Aston Martin find themselves. The FIA still has to persuade the other teams to vote its adjustments through.
Discover the rest of the F1 news on our website and app mathodds!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply