Not sure how reputable these guys are...it was a good read.
https://formula1-data.com/article/alons ... hatgpt.com
Honda is back on the F1 stage at the start of the 2026 season, but its steps are heavy enough to evoke its dark partnership with McLaren. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) said he believes his criticism of Honda from 10 years ago could be understood now.
The scene at the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix when Alonso, who was with McLaren, criticized Honda's power unit over the radio as a "GP2 engine" is a memorable memory for Japanese F1 fans. This statement caused a huge stir around the world at the time. There was also a lot of criticism of Alonso.
Alonso said ahead of the second race, the Chinese Grand Prix: "In a way, it's been 10 years now and the way things looked at me at the time may have changed a bit. "Maybe now they think I was right about what I said and did 10 years ago," he said.
"We should have applauded and celebrated," Alonso says of the reality at the time.
Alonso recalls that he was not alone in his frustrations at McLaren at the time. Teammates Jenson Button and Stoffel Vandoorne, as well as the team as a whole, were on the same page, saying "neither the project nor the power unit was mature enough at the start."
"I think it was a frustrated comment on the radio, but up until 2〜3 years ago it seemed like I was criticizing like crazy 10 years ago," Alonso said.
"As a two-time competitive world champion, there's no way I'd be happy with the situation. It's about whether we should have applauded in the car and been happy."
"But now, by comparing the situation then with the situation now, I think people are a little more understanding of us and more understanding of the issues."
The current situation at Aston Martin Honda overlaps with that of McLaren Honda 10 years ago. Last weekend's opening race, the Australian Grand Prix, forced him to limit the number of laps he could complete, and in the final he focused on collecting data, positioning it as "practice" rather than competing for positions with other cars.
Referring to the fact that the car has only covered about one-tenth of its rivals' total mileage since pre-season testing, Alonso said the car has not yet been able to optimise or even take a step beyond the "starting point".
To make matters worse, there is a shortage of spare parts. A series of problems have depleted the spare battery, forcing the team to walk a tightrope where trouble is not an option, a situation that is expected to continue at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
Honda Racing (HRC) trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the battery, which suffered problems in the opening race, was continuing to be repaired, but declined to say how many reserves there would be at the Chinese Grand Prix.
"One team" to work together to resolve the issue, but one side remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, Alonso stressed his commitment to working together with "we are one team" and revealed that Aston is allocating its resources to PU development, particularly in the areas of vibration issues and deployment, to solve the challenges facing Honda.
"F1 today is different from what it used to be. There's all the data, there's GPS. There is also analysis that can be obtained from other teams. With those resources, we can help Honda focus on one issue and support them in the power unit area."
However, no resolution has been expected. With the third race, the Japanese Grand Prix, set at Suzuka Circuit, where Honda is at his knees, coming up, Alonso admits it's "hard to predict" when a normal race will be possible.
"There are still too many problems, and every day there are sudden problems with no clear cause. So it feels like we don't fully grasp the problem yet."
Even if further reliability issues are resolved, new challenges lie ahead in improving performance.
"Honestly, I think it will take more time to become competitive. We need to fix the reliability issues first, but we're also lagging behind in power. So it feels like there are two stages."
Alonso's goal for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix is neither points nor a podium finish.
"I'll do pretty much normal free practice and qualifying, do lots of laps and be happy if I can tackle the full race distance on Sunday."
