UNDERCUT | Koji Watanabe on Honda's next F1 chapter, reuniting with Adrian Newey, and late-night calls in Sakura
SHARE:
Ask Ai.lonso to read this article
From Sakura to Silverstone. During an hour-long phone call for the latest instalment of our candid UNDERCUT interview series, Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe reveals why now is the right time for Honda to embark on its next chapter in F1 and how it's rising to the challenge of developing the power unit for Aston Martin Aramco's 2026 challenger.
17:27.
It's about this time on a weekday that many people are starting to wrap up work and log off.
Except Koji Watanabe isn’t most people, and motorsport isn't most industries. Speaking with the President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), you quickly realise, unsurprisingly so, that when you're based in Sakura and embarking on a works partnership with an F1 team that's some 9,500km away and nine hours behind, your job is far from nine to five.
He's just put the phone down after speaking with Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll, and once he's finished this UNDERCUT interview, a typically 'intense call' (Watanabe-san's words, not ours) with Adrian Newey at 19:00 is set to follow, and another with Andy Cowell after that.
Sandwiched in his diary between Messrs Stroll, Newey, and Cowell, one can't help but feel an UNDERCUT interview might be something of an anti-climax in Watanabe-san's Tuesday evening call list, but he's quick to point out he's a keen reader of our candid interview series.
A career approaching its 40th year has seen him travel the world with Honda, taking posts around Europe, in the Americas, and China. He’s worked in the automotive business, communications and motorsport, and within the higher echelons of the corporate structure. Today, he leads HRC, managing its efforts across the world of motorsport, from MotoGP to IndyCar and now, its return to F1 as a full works partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.
The new power unit regulations are a golden opportunity for Honda, because F1 isn't, and has never really been, a marketing-led exercise for the Japanese company. F1 is a laboratory: it's where Honda tests its mettle, pushing its developmental skills and challenging its engineers. It's a revolving door which brings the full resources of Honda's technological prowess to bear at the pinnacle of motorsport, but it also takes away the knowledge and experiences acquired in F1 to make the rest of Honda stronger. The crucible of competition is as much a finishing school for talent as it is a test bed for ideas... and honestly, we couldn't be prouder to have that famous Honda logo sitting on the engine cowling of our 2026 F1 car.
But this goes beyond pride: it's also very exciting, albeit excitement cut with anticipation. The stakes are high, the expectation enormous. It's a time for calm heads and vast experience – and we really couldn’t have anyone better than Koji Watanabe in our corner. This is what he had to say...
Watanabe-san, you're well-renowned in motorsport, from F1 to IndyCar to MotoGP. But how did you get here – what drives and inspires you?
"I love motorsport. I have a passion for it – and fortunately for me, this fits very well with the philosophy of Honda. This is the philosophy of challenge: to tackle high hurdles. It's an important aspect of racing, but also characteristic of Honda. Challenge and the drive to reach high goals have always brought the company forward. It's a spirit that inspires everybody within the company, including myself.
"Then there is technology. Motorsport is a battlefield for technology. Intense, no mercy. It is a wonderful arena in which to improve technology, but also to develop our own engineers, make the most of their talent, and take them to higher levels of skill.
"And finally, there is pleasure. Going racing is... joyous. To be able to share with our fans the passion for
motorsport, and the joy of driving, is a very special thing."
We talk a great deal about technology and development, but this all stems from human ideas and the passion and effort of people.
So why is now the right moment for Honda to embark on its next chapter in Formula One as a power unit manufacturer? What is it about the 2026 regulations that drew you back in?
"I think Honda probably can't live without F1. Looking specifically at the technology, however, the power unit regulation changes for 2026 were an important factor in Honda’s decision to return to the sport.
"These regulations encourage a 50:50 output split between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, with the latter nearly tripling in output from 120kW to 350kW. Add to that the requirement to use advanced sustainable fuels, and this becomes very much in line with Honda's philosophy on future propulsion systems.
"It also fits with our business orientation. The pinnacle of motorsport is the place to refine our technology, improve our technical capabilities and stand on a world stage that will allow us to showcase all of this. This is very important for the future of Honda."
And why Aston Martin Aramco? What convinced Honda that this was the right team to partner with for the next era of F1?
"We've always been careful in the partners we select. In this instance, I was very impressed with the team's leadership and with the passion and vision of Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll. He's very competitive – always with a view to winning. It's very impressive.
"You can see the desire to succeed expressed in the new facilities at the AMR Technology Campus, but also in the way the organisation has been strengthened over the past few years with experienced personnel. The commitment and focus of the team are very strong, and this was very attractive to us. Exciting too."
How closely are Honda's engineers working with Aston Martin Aramco's, and how does that relationship operate across the globe?
"The relationship between the engineers is very strong now, but my expectation is that it will improve and intensify the deeper we get into the project. The common ground at the start was this winning spirit, and talking to Lawrence, or any of the leadership team at the AMR Technology Campus, there has always been this feeling of being one team. That's very important, the 'one team' philosophy.
"At the moment, there are Aston Martin Aramco engineers working at HRC Sakura in Japan, and HRC engineers in Silverstone at the AMR Technology Campus. We're working very closely through this relationship – there’s a huge amount of knowledge and experience flowing between our organisations."
What about the time difference? Sakura is nine hours ahead of Silverstone.
"This is something we can turn to our advantage. Japan is awake and working while the UK is sleeping, and vice versa, so the project is moving forward 24 hours a day. When anyone comes into work, they can have a new set of results and fresh data delivered from the other side of the world."
We laughed a lot in the first meeting after Adrian joined Aston Martin Aramco – it was very much a case of, 'Well, here we are again!'
On the subject of working together, after 14 months with the team, Andy Cowell is taking on the new role of Chief Strategy Officer, where he’ll use his unique experience to help optimise the technical partnership between the team, Honda, Aramco, and Valvoline. What's it like working with one of F1's leading power unit engineers?
"We have a very good relationship – Andy is someone I can call anytime and talk through whatever we're doing in Silverstone or Sakura.
"Developing and supplying the power unit is entirely the responsibility of HRC, but of course, it is very useful that Andy is well aware of the challenges presented by developing power units and how sensitive and delicate these modern systems are. My respect for him and his achievements in the sport is very high.
"We have a lot of discussions, and whenever we’re setting goals for the power unit, naturally, he sets us some very ambitious targets, but it’s very helpful to have a senior member of Aston Martin Aramco’s leadership who is also an expert in power unit development. There has to be harmony between the chassis and power unit sides of the project, and Andy's role enables that."
Compared to Andy, Adrian Newey arrived at Aston Martin Aramco a little later in the 2026 development cycle – but your relationship with him stretches back a little further. Are you pleased to be reunited, and does having him working on the 2026 chassis impact the latter stages of the power unit development
"We laughed a lot in the first meeting after he joined Aston Martin Aramco – it was very much a case of, 'Well, here we are again!' It's very exciting that he's here and, of course, there is huge respect for him and his capabilities.
"In terms of power unit development, we have our processes and timetable for making a power unit that is capable and competitive, and Adrian has been working from day one on doing the same for the chassis – so we're working very closely and communicating a great deal at the point where those two things meet."
And what are those discussions with Adrian like?
"Adrian is one of the people I communicate with frequently, and it's often a quite intense exchange of opinions, suggestions, and feedback – but always with the focus on winning.
"Whenever we're having a technical discussion about components or development, it's always with the long-term focus on how we get the win. And that can be about anything: it might be a very detailed design
issue, but equally it might be about competitor analysis, or how to manage people to get the best out of them, or even finance and using the limitations of the cost cap most effectively."
So it always comes back to winning? Is that all that matters?
"F1 is a people sport. I agree with him on that completely. We talk a great deal about technology and development, but this all stems from human ideas and the passion and effort of people. This holds absolutely true for Honda."
F1 can be... cruel. It's a cruel business and sometimes, if results are not what you hope for, it's difficult to improve.
Adrian has won multiple World Championships; Honda has won multiple World Championships. Aston Martin Aramco hasn't yet. What lessons is Honda bringing to a team that's trying to win a World Championship for the first time?
"It comes back to the idea of being one team. It's vital to trust and respect your partners and continue to improve together.
"Honda has supplied engines and power units to various teams over the decades. There have been days and years with very good results, but also days and years with poor results. Whatever happens on track, it's important that we remain one entity.
"F1 can be... cruel. It's a cruel business and sometimes, if results are not what you hope for, it's difficult to improve – but it is absolutely vital to maintain the relationship of trust and respect with your partners."
The all-new power regulations are a major step change for F1. What are the biggest challenges and opportunities?
"The new engines don't have the MGU-H – the element of the power unit that converts heat energy from exhaust gases into electrical energy. This means there will be some turbo-lag to handle.
"The other challenge is tripling the output of the electrical motor, while leaving the capacity of the energy store almost unchanged. The key factor here will be making energy management more efficient. It’s the most difficult technical challenge in the new regulations.
"Efficiency is going to be the decisive factor in F1's new era, and at Honda, we take pride in having the world’s most advanced battery technology. It's going to be important to leverage this strength while also enhancing our energy management performance.
"There is also the power unit cost cap to consider, which will be $130 million USD per year from 2026 and covers all costs related to the design, production and supply of the power unit. It's a very serious subject and a significant change in how a power unit supplier will operate, and comes at a time of these major technical changes.
"I'm confident we’re going to deal well with these challenges. Honda has been accumulating experience in F1 since 1964, and we’re confident that, working together with Aston Martin Aramco as one team, we can be very competitive in F1’s new era."
For the moment, we're not considering supplying any other teams. We want to concentrate on winning with Aston Martin Aramco.
The 50:50 split between internal combustion and electrical power is a huge shift.How is this going to impact the cars?
"Moving to a PU with a 50:50 split means we have to improve the efficiency of how we generate and store more electrical energy – but we also have to determine where and how much of it is used. This isn't new: the current power units require careful management of where energy is recovered and where it is deployed around the circuit – but it becomes more critical in 2026.
"The patterns of energy use differ from corner to corner, and a single circuit might have thousands of energy use patterns. We have developed software in-house at HRC to manage more than 20,000 parameters of data stream coming from the power unit to define the best energy-use patterns.
"This is not the sort of work that gathers a lot of attention publicly. But, in modern F1, where track testing opportunities are limited, the digital technologies and simulations we are developing are critically important – particularly so for 2026, where the increase in electrical energy makes the management of energy recovery and energy deployment more complex. It's a significant technical challenge; at the moment, it's perhaps the most significant of the project."
Does supplying only one team with a power unit make things more challenging, in terms of the sample size of data for development? Would Honda want to supply customer teams in the future?
"For the moment, we're not considering supplying any other teams. We want to concentrate on winning with Aston Martin Aramco.
"In the future, if there are benefits to supplying multiple teams, in terms of the feedback that provides, then yes, of course it is something we would consider."
A little earlier, you touched on the introduction of advanced sustainable fuels for the 2026 season. How important is this change, and how are Honda and Aramco integrated in tailoring a fuel blend for the AMR26?
"Going to a 100 per cent advanced sustainable fuel is important for the sport and has wider implications for achieving a sustainable world. As a global manufacturer of passenger cars, achieving carbon neutrality is a very important issue for Honda.
We're getting close to the launch of the AMR26 on 9 February. When fans see Aston Martin Aramco and Honda hit the track together in 2026, what do you hope they feel?
"I hope that fans feel they’re really witnessing the beginning of a new era. We're all very excited to be at the start of this, and I think when we first get out on track is the point at which we'll be able to share this joy and excitement with them."
And what does a successful first campaign look like to you?
"Definition of success... for me, 2026 is a year to ensure the partnership we have created between Aston Martin Aramco and Honda is functioning as planned, as one integrated team. We need to ensure we have the values we have aimed for and that we achieve our performance goals.
"The thing we can't predict, and is beyond our control, is the status of our competitors. Before we know that, we can't talk about anything beyond meeting our own internal goals for the season. Of course, in the longer term, the ultimate goal of this partnership, and our definition of success, is winning the World Championship.
"It's very important to take a long-term view of this. Our relationship with Aston Martin Aramco is going beyond a technical collaboration – we are sharing a common vision. There is a lot of passion in the team at the AMR Technology Campus, but also a great deal of quality. Pair that with Honda’s development skills and ability to provide winning power units, and we have the potential to be successful in F1, not just in 2026, but also '27, '28 and beyond.
"We are on the eve of something very special."
The six-step guide to building a 2026 F1 power unit
Designing and building an F1power unit is one of the most complex engineering challenges in motorsport. We asked HRC President Koji Watanabe to break the process down for us:
"The 2026 power unit consists of a 1.6-litre V6 internal combustion engine (ICE), with a turbocharger and a motor-generator unit which recovers and restores the kinetic energy from braking. There is also an energy store, essentially the battery, and control electronics. The target is to have a thermodynamic efficiency (the ratio of energy converted to useful work versus the total energy in the fuel) of around 50 per cent for the power unit. This is higher than any road cars at the moment."
STEP 1: Design
KW: “Work begins with a general design concept, and after that, a detailed design phase for each of these components of the power unit.”
STEP 2: Simulation
KW: “These components then move into a simulation phase during which all of the design data is validated.”
STEP 3: Prototype manufacturing and bench testing
KW: “This starts with a single-cylinder engine, rather than the eventual V6. We use the single-cylinder engine to perform basic engine bench testing, and once we’ve examined and evaluated the data gathered from that, we make a V6 engine, and put that on the dynamometer. “We complete an extensive programme of testing on the dyno, after which, there is a lot of work on packaging, and a system integration testing phase where we put a monocoque and gearbox from AMR together with our power unit and test those as a combined unit.”
STEP 4: Chassis integration and track testing
KW: “The entire power unit is installed in the AMR26 and moved onto shakedown tests at the track.”
STEP 5: Production
KW: “Should everything there be successful, we’ll take that specification into production, at which point the next challenge will be supplying engines for the Grands Prix.”
STEP 6: Continuous development
KW: “Data captured at the track during race weekends is fed back into the development as we improve the power unit. There’s a saying: ‘After the race is before the race’. By this, we mean the data from races is fed back into a development loop as we improve the power unit.”
We use cookies on our website. By continuing to use this website you consent to the storing and accessing of cookies on your device in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our site and how to change your settings please view our Cookie Policy.
