ALONSO HAS ‘100%’ TRUST THAT HONDA WILL GET IT RIGHT D….see more in comments

ALONSO HAS ‘100%’ TRUST THAT HONDA WILL GET IT RIGHT D….see more in comments 

   Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin endured a difficult start to the Italian Grand Prix weekend. In FP2 at Monza, Alonso finished 19th, 2.468s off the pace, with the team’s long-straight weakness laid bare. “It’s very circuit specific at the moment, so there will be some circuits that are better than others, and definitely Monza was one of those that we were not looking forward to” he admitted. Honda had brought revised combustion characteristics to improve driveability after Zandvoort, but the new B-spec power unit still struggled. Alonso said they had “gone back a bit to square one” on gear-shifting feel and engine braking, and that “the drivability was a problem, and the extra power was difficult to feel”.
    Despite the frustration, Alonso made his stance on Honda crystal clear on Thursday. “One hundred percent, yes,” he said when asked if he trusts the manufacturer will get there. “I think it’s a huge commitment from Honda. The facilities we have in Japan are one of the best. I think the personnel and the management of the power unit now has been reinforced, as Honda said, and a lot of people that were in the previous project they are in again on this one. I think I have no doubts, and I trust one hundred percent Honda”. Honda’s Trackside General Manager Shintaro Orihara confirmed the focus at Monza was driveability, with work done on stable combustion control at Sakura. Alonso pointed to Honda’s past success with Red Bull as proof they can return to the top, but warned time is key: “We started with the wrong foot… but I have no doubts that they will get there”.

      The Spaniard wants results far quicker than Honda’s previous McLaren era. “As I said many times we don’t want to wait five years like they did last time, or six years. We want to do it in two years or three years maximum”. He acknowledged Aston Martin and Honda began the 2026 regulations at a disadvantage, but believes the chassis is now moving in the right direction after updates in Budapest and Zandvoort where he scored P9 — the team’s first points of the season. “We tick one of the boxes” on the chassis, Alonso said, but “we need to improve on both ends, in chassis and on engine, for next year, and it’s a must”. With Monza expected to be “one of the worst weekends for us” alongside Baku and Las Vegas, Alonso is asking Honda to “shortcut somehow that process” and deliver a power unit that matches Aston Martin’s cornering progress.