Honda reach 500 F1 races in Austin with Aston Martin's turbo lag issue still unsolved

Honda reaches its 500th Formula 1 race at this weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin. The landmark arrives at a difficult moment. The Japanese manufacturer has admitted that the turbo lag problem frustrating Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin has not been fully fixed.

Five hundred races since 1964

Honda first entered an F1 race at the 1964 German Grand Prix. According to RacingNews365, it becomes only the fifth engine maker to reach 500 entries, after Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes and Ford-Cosworth.

There is a small detail in the numbers. This is Honda's 500th entry but not its 500th start. At the 2005 US Grand Prix in Indianapolis, the Honda-powered cars pulled into the pits after the formation lap along with the other Michelin runners.

Honda's record includes its first win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix, championships with Williams in the 1980s and McLaren from 1988 to 1991, and Max Verstappen's 2021 title with Red Bull. Since 2026 it has been the works power unit partner of Aston Martin. The AMR26 cars of Alonso and Lance Stroll will carry a special Honda500 logo in Austin.

HRC president Koji Watanabe thanked fans, past partners and drivers for their support, and said Honda will keep pushing in Formula 1.

The problem from Singapore

The celebrations come after a tough Singapore weekend. Alonso said his turbo was broken during qualifying, and Honda changed his power unit overnight. In the race he complained that power delivery felt unpredictable, with the car losing drive out of corners.

Honda took the parts back to its Sakura base in Japan for inspection. Trackside chief Shintaro Orihara said in Austin that the inspection found no major mechanical fault.

What Honda did find was a gap between how it expected turbo lag to be managed and what actually happened on track. Orihara admitted that the engine control is not yet meeting what the drivers need.

Why the MGU-K is involved

Turbo lag is the short delay between the driver pressing the throttle and the turbo delivering full boost. Under the 2026 rules, the electric motor, known as the MGU-K, can help fill that gap.

Orihara explained that the MGU-K helps, but is not enough on tracks like Singapore, where a lot of energy is needed. According to The Race, the issue is linked to how the MGU-K harvests energy under braking and deploys it on corner exit. Honda's understanding of this area is not yet mature. A new turbocharger introduced in Singapore did not solve the problem.

What Honda is trying in Austin

Honda says it has brought further countermeasures to Texas. It wants to see whether the power unit behaves better in the switch from braking to acceleration. Orihara called the Circuit of the Americas a demanding track, with fast flowing sections and heavy traction zones.

Aston Martin are tenth of the 11 teams in the constructors' standings, with 7 points after Singapore. The US Grand Prix starts at 4am on Monday, Malaysia time.

Key takeaways

• The US Grand Prix is Honda's 500th Formula 1 race entry, 62 years after its debut.
• Honda is the fifth engine maker to reach the mark, after Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes and Ford-Cosworth.
• Inspections after Singapore found no major mechanical fault in Alonso's power unit.
• Honda admits its turbo lag control does not yet match driver demand and is trying more countermeasures in Austin.

FAQ

When did Honda first race in Formula 1? Honda's first F1 race entry was the 1964 German Grand Prix. Its first win came a year later at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.

Was Alonso's turbo really broken in Singapore? Honda says its inspection found no major mechanical problem. It changed the turbo because of Alonso's feedback.

What is turbo lag? It is the delay between pressing the throttle and the turbo delivering full power. In 2026, the electric motor is used to help cover that delay.

Sources: Honda, RacingNews365, The Race, Grande Premio