Formula 1 is considering a significant tweak to engine upgrade rules that could provide Honda with additional development opportunities beyond the current framework, as the Japanese manufacturer struggles through a difficult start to its 2026 partnership with Aston Martin. Discussions have taken place between F1 bosses and rival manufacturers over recent weeks about engineering a pathway for Honda to recover from vibration problems that have impacted both performance and reliability.
Despite the ultra-competitive nature of Formula 1 and a general reluctance from manufacturers to change rules that benefit the opposition, there is understood to be a feeling in the paddock that nobody gains from keeping Honda at the back of the field. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested last week that the upgrades mechanism should be targeted specifically at the struggling manufacturer.
“It seems for me there’s one engine manufacturer that has a problem, and we need to help. But then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark.”
Current ADUO Rules and Proposed Changes
Under F1’s existing Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) rules, manufacturers qualify for extra development if their internal combustion engine falls behind the benchmark after specified assessment periods during the season. A deficit of 2% allows one upgrade for 2026 and one for 2027. If the gap reaches 4% or above, manufacturers may introduce two upgrades this season and two more in the following campaign. These opportunities also unlock additional spending and bench testing freedom under power unit cost cap restrictions.
The critical limitation: gains are currently capped, meaning once a manufacturer has been granted upgrade opportunities, they will not be offered them again that season. F1’s technical regulations state: “ADUO homologation upgrades are not cumulative within a season and will only be granted following the first occasion that the PU [power unit] manufacturer is assessed by the FIA as eligible for ADUO according to the criteria in this Article.”
The proposed rule change under consideration would revise this cap, allowing any manufacturer significantly behind to continue receiving development and cost-cap freedoms multiple times within a single season. For example, if Honda fails to close the gap to within 4% of the benchmark during the second assessment period this year, it would be granted development and cost-cap freedoms for a second time, along with the ability to introduce even more upgrades.
Any change to the upgrade rules would require a super majority in F1’s power unit advisory committee — approval from four of the current five manufacturers alongside Formula One Management and the FIA.
Short-Term Improvements in the Works
While awaiting potential changes to the upgrade framework, Honda is working on immediate improvements. Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, revealed that after the Japanese Grand Prix, the company kept one Aston Martin AMR26 at its Sakura R&D facility to assist with efforts to understand and resolve the vibration problems.
“We have made some progress, allowing us to implement further countermeasures in Miami and later in the season. Realistically, this progress will not have a visible impact on the power unit performance on track, so we shouldn’t be expecting big jumps forward here.”
The scale of Honda’s deficit suggests that even the existing ADUO provisions may not be sufficient for the recovery task ahead. The Japanese manufacturer entered the 2026 season with high expectations following the sport’s major regulatory overhaul, which introduced new chassis and power units with approximately 50% electric power. The vibration issues have proven more complex than anticipated, leaving Honda playing catch-up in a competitive field where Mercedes, Ferrari and the other manufacturers have found a more solid baseline.
Honda’s struggles mark a challenging start to its renewed partnership with Aston Martin, which appointed Andy Cowell as team principal in 2025. The outcome of the ongoing rule change discussions could prove pivotal in determining whether Honda can mount a meaningful recovery during the 2026 season or faces a longer road back to competitiveness.
The Miami Grand Prix weekend begins on Friday, 2 May 2026, where Honda will introduce its first countermeasures to the vibration problems.