Aston Martin to have upgraded Honda engine for Zandvoort
SILVERSTONE, England, July 2 : Formula One back-markers Aston Martin will have an upgraded Honda engine after the August break, from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards, the Japanese manufacturer's trackside boss Shintaro Orihara said on Thursday.
Aston Martin, currently 10th in the constructors' standings with one point from eight rounds, are also planning to bring in a substantially revised chassis from the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
The Honda engine is widely accepted to be the worst on the grid in what is a new era for power unit manufacturers.
"We are working hard to complete our job list to achieve bringing the new power unit to Netherlands. That is our target," Orihara told reporters ahead of the British Grand Prix.
"I don't think we're going to catch up with Mercedes or RBPT (Red Bull Powertrains) in one step... We need another step for the future to catch up the top competition."
The Dutch Grand Prix is at Zandvoort on August 23.
"We have the aero in Hungary and then engine in Zandvoort. So, we’ll know more then. Hopefully we get more in the mix," said Canadian driver Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, whose teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has scored the sole point so far.
"I just hope we take a good step forward and it gives us some opportunity to fight every weekend and score some points."
