Honda replaces F1 power-unit chief Tetsushi Kakuda with Yoichiro Fukao after dreadful 2026 start

Honda shakes up F1 engine leadership amid Aston Martin slump

Honda has changed the leadership of its Formula 1 power-unit programme after a disappointing start to its official return as a works engine supplier in 2026.

The Japanese manufacturer, which won four world titles with Red Bull and Max Verstappen from 2021-24, joined forces with Aston Martin as their works engine partner for 2026. The partnership has struggled since the new regulations arrived.

Aston Martin sit 10th of 11 teams in the constructors’ championship and have a best result of ninth for Fernando Alonso in the Dutch Grand Prix. Honda announced on Monday that Yoichiro Fukao, currently deputy leader of the F1 project, will become Large Project Leader of the F1 project from 1 October, succeeding Tetsushi Kakuda who has led power-unit development this season.

"This organisational change is a planned transition designed to ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers," read a Honda statement. "Following the introduction of the new regulations in 2026, and with further regulatory changes expected from 2027 onwards, Honda aims to establish a robust development framework and deliver a highly competitive PU by transitioning to the new structure at an early stage."

Performance and reliability issues

The Silverstone-based team have generally been at the back of the field throughout the campaign, with the Honda power unit suffering from both a lack of power and reliability compared to their rivals. Aston Martin sit only above F1 debutants Cadillac in the teams’ standings, with Alonso scoring three points across two races, while Lance Stroll has yet to score.

At last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Stroll retired with brake issues, while Alonso managed to reach the chequered flag at his home event two laps down in P17. Alonso was 2.2 seconds off the fastest time of the session when he was eliminated in the first part of qualifying.

Honda introduced its first engine upgrade of the campaign at the Dutch Grand Prix. Head of trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara said Honda had "observed (a) step forward in terms of performance on our metrics", but the step is said to have been small and less than Aston Martin had expected.

The lack of performance of the Honda engine is said to be worth at least a second of lap time, adding up the losses from the performance of the internal combustion engine and the operation of the electrical system. F1 engines in 2026 have a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, and efficiency in energy recovery is paramount when the batteries are almost completely deploying and recharging several times a lap.

Roots of the struggle

Honda’s stuttering start to its official return to F1 is rooted in its tortuous route to the start of this season. In October 2020, it announced it was pulling out of F1 at the end of 2021. Although Honda continued to supply engines to Red Bull on a more low-key basis until the end of 2025, only a small hub of engineers remained on the programme.

When Honda decided in May 2023 to return to F1 in an official capacity for 2026, it set about rebuilding a team of development engineers, but did not bring back the ones who had produced the successful 2021 engine. Instead, engineers with no experience of F1 were brought into the programme. This season it has started the process of bringing back the experienced engineers in the hope the programme can be accelerated.

For Alonso, this process has been especially painful, because he has already endured three difficult years of uncompetitive Honda engines with McLaren from 2015-17, when the company last returned to F1 after a hiatus. The latest development comes as the veteran two-time champion has still not confirmed whether he will continue in F1 after the end of this season, when he is out of contract with Aston Martin.

Fukao has been with Honda since 2002, beginning with the development of engine and gearbox control systems before pivoting to Honda’s involvement in MotoGP between 2009-2011. Having then focused on the development of hybrid systems over the next three years, Fukao went back to F1, eventually becoming Deputy Leader of the F1 Project in 2017 and again in 2022 as Honda looked to return to the sport.