Honda links Aston Martin’s Mexico MGU-K fault to altitude

Shintaro Orihara, a senior Honda figure, linked Aston Martin’s MGU-K fault in Mexico to the circuit’s altitude. He said the engine did not behave as expected under the specific conditions, putting strain on the ERS cooling circuit before the fault occurred.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both retired from the Mexico Grand Prix. Aston Martin had also encountered problems in practice and qualifying.

Orihara said the problem was a mechanical fault, not directly linked to traffic, although traffic could still hinder engine operation. He acknowledged that the engine lacked reliability under certain conditions.

Honda took the relevant specification back to the factory to examine how to prevent a repeat, Orihara said.

For Brazil, Honda has taken hardware and software countermeasures to improve reliability, Orihara said. He noted that the Brazilian circuit is also at altitude, although its conditions are not the same as Mexico’s.

Orihara said Honda’s factory is already focused on the 2027 engine and that the Mexico experience could help improve its reliability.