Aston Martin, in collaboration with Honda, has announced a significant change in the direction of its power unit program for Formula 1. With the intention of improving its competitiveness, Honda has decided to replace the head of engine development, Tetsushi Kakuda, with Yoichiro Fukao, its current assistant. This new structure will come into effect on October 1.
According to Honda Racing Corporation, this change is part of a «planned transition» aimed at «accelerating» the development of power units. Fukao, who has been acting as the deputy leader of the F1 project and head of the software division, will assume the role of leader of the major project, or LPL.
After a troubled start to this new era of 2026, Honda is seeking to redirect its situation, having faced issues of performance and reliability. The Japanese brand has received additional assistance for its power unit system and hopes that the changes in leadership will facilitate the development of a renewed engine for 2027.
In this context, Honda emphasizes that the goal is to establish a solid development framework to adapt to regulatory changes that will come into effect starting in 2027. Furthermore, discussions have taken place during the recent Spanish Grand Prix, with the executives of the Aston Martin team, Lawrence Stroll and Fernando Alonso, exploring additional options to help address the challenges.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
