Honda to use Belgian GP data as engine upgrade nears

Spa becomes another Honda proving ground

Honda trackside chief Shintaro Orihara says the Belgian Grand Prix will provide an important opportunity to gather data before the manufacturer introduces its next Formula 1 engine upgrade.

The timing makes Spa-Francorchamps especially significant. The circuit combines long straights with high-speed corners, creating demanding questions around throttle application and energy deployment. Those challenges are amplified by the energy-harvesting demands facing the 50-50 hybrid power units across one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.

Honda’s development programme will therefore continue in competition rather than pause until the new specification arrives. Readers can also follow the wider upgrade picture in Honda’s planned Aston Martin power-unit update, which outlines the next stage of the team’s engine push.

“We have two more races before we introduce the new engine. It’s important to keep learning with this current spec, so we can take those energy deployment findings into future races, like Monza, where we also have the long straights,” Orihara said.

Long straights, complex corners and limited certainty

Orihara described Spa as the longest circuit on the 2026 calendar and highlighted its technical demands for both drivers and engineers. The combination of complex corner sections and sustained high-speed running leaves little room for inaccurate predictions, particularly when managing how and when electrical energy is deployed around the lap.

The Belgian weekend could also deliver the first genuinely wet sessions of the season. All nine races so far have remained dry, but Spa’s changeable conditions mean that pattern may end this weekend.

Weather could alter Aston Martin’s prospects

“An added unknown is the changeable weather conditions at the circuit,” Orihara said. “At Silverstone it remained dry, so Spa could be the first time where we have proper wet conditions in a session. In terms of the weather, anything can happen here.”

For Aston Martin, rain could act as a leveller. The team has scored only one point so far, earned by Alonso at Monaco, and will hope that unpredictable conditions create an opportunity for a stronger result while Honda continues refining the package ahead of its upgrade.