Honda has issued an announcement explaining the reason for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s points after a disastrous Sunday on the System 1 Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix.
Beginning the weekend with promise, Aston Martin set a preliminary goal of reaching Q2 with each vehicles, however this ambition shortly grew to become a nightmare.
Alonso was compelled to cease on circuit within the opening minutes of Q1 after the group noticed a difficulty on his automobile, whereas Stroll may solely qualify seventeenth,
The race proved no higher, as each vehicles retired within the opening 5 laps, wrecking the possibilities of the group’s best race of the season.
Cooling points have been guilty, with Honda’s ERS system proving extremely prone to the thinner air at a circuit over 2,000 toes above sea stage.
Honda has now issued an announcement acknowledging the difficulty and revealing simply how badly the Japanese producer underestimated the distinctive cooling calls for of Mexico Metropolis,
“We knew that with the particular high-altitude circumstance of Mexico Metropolis, we might face some further challenges in comparison with different racetracks for the cooling,” Honda Trackside Normal Supervisor and Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara stated.
“Nevertheless, we discovered that our ERS cooling circuit was below heavier stress than anticipated, and this is the reason we needed to cease the automobile in numerous classes.”
Honda confirms “exhausting classes” in 2026 being learnt
Orihara confirmed that Honda noticed the difficulty abruptly seem in qualifying, however added the producer is already exhausting at work on an answer to counter their underestimation.
“Regardless of finishing a sequence of laps in the course of the apply classes, the difficulty occurred [in the race] and through qualifying,” he stated.
“At every race this yr, we have to be taught for 2027, even the exhausting classes,” he stated. “We now have numerous information that we are able to deliver again to this circuit subsequent yr, together with on the turbo lag, and we are going to work on the options.”
Honda endured one thing out of a horror film in Mexico Metropolis, and has taken the blame.
The subsequent race in São Paulo will present a take a look at to see if it may bounce again from a weekend that threatens to set Aston Martin’s progress again if the ERS points rematerialise at a circuit lower than 1,000 toes above sea stage.
READ MORE: Motorsport Week’s 2026 F1 Mexico Metropolis GP Driver Rankings
