Honda’s trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara delivered encouraging news from the Canadian Grand Prix, confirming that the Japanese manufacturer has successfully addressed the early-season reliability concerns that plagued Aston Martin’s power units. Despite another pointless weekend for the Silverstone-based team in Montreal, Orihara emphasized that Honda achieved stable power unit operation across both cars, marking a significant departure from the vibration-related problems that had troubled the partnership in the opening rounds of 2024.
The reliability improvements were evident throughout the weekend, with Lance Stroll completing the full race distance at his home grand prix while Fernando Alonso’s retirement stemmed from an unrelated seat malfunction rather than any power unit failure. “We haven’t had any major power unit issues again on both cars, with Lance completing full distance at his home grand prix,” Orihara explained. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish the race on Fernando’s side, but everything was going smoothly from a power unit perspective.”
Aston Martin’s performance woes continued to center on chassis limitations rather than power unit concerns, with both drivers struggling against familiar challenges. Stroll started from the pit lane following a battery change and setup modifications, while Alonso began from the rear of the grid. Although Alonso showed early promise by climbing into the top 10 as rivals battled tire temperature issues, both drivers ultimately fell backward once the field stabilized, unable to match midfield pace on either tire performance or straight-line speed.
The Spaniard acknowledged incremental progress despite his disappointing retirement, noting that the team appeared faster in Canada than in Miami with an identical package. “We had a good start and we were fighting into the top ten positions. We made the right call starting on the Soft tire,” Alonso said. “We seemed to be faster than we were in Miami with the same package. We need to wait for performance to come with our upgrades around the summer break.” Stroll was equally candid about the AMR24’s limitations, citing struggles with tire temperature management and insufficient straight-line performance.
Beyond reliability gains, Honda reported positive developments in power unit driveability during the Montreal weekend, a crucial characteristic for circuits featuring multiple traction zones. Orihara highlighted this progress as particularly relevant for upcoming street circuits, though he acknowledged work remains to bridge the gap between driver expectations and current performance. “Overall, during the Canadian Grand Prix, we have confirmed positive signs on driveability so that is a good thing to take forward to the next race,” he stated, while noting continued efforts to improve torque delivery and throttle response for enhanced low-speed performance and stability.