Honda confirms final ADUO turbo upgrade after Spanish GP
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 1, 2026
Honda turbo upgrade
Honda closed out its Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities for the season with an updated turbocharger that first appeared on Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at the Spanish Grand Prix. The company used its second ADUO token on the turbo update after bringing its initial package to the Netherlands Grand Prix at Zandvoort, then later fit the same improved part to Fernando Alonso in Baku. Honda said the turbocharger change was aimed at reducing turbo lag and fixing drivability problems, while also improving boost response and energy management. The move matters because it marks the end of Honda’s available ADUO room for the campaign, and it gives the power unit program one final hardware step before the focus shifts to other forms of development. Honda had previously described the Spec 2 power unit introduced at Zandvoort as its only 2026 ADUO upgrade, but the company went on to use its remaining token on the revised turbocharger. That sequence shows how Honda kept working through the power unit package even after its first upgrade had already reached the track. The turbo change also tied directly to problems Honda identified in its earlier package, which it said had caused drivability issues after its debut in the Netherlands.
Stroll Aston Martin
Stroll was first to run the updated turbocharger, and his comments underline why Honda pushed the change through. He said Aston Martin was still losing roughly one to two seconds on engine performance, depending on the track, which points to a gap Honda and the team still want to close. The company linked the turbo lag issue to the Spec 2 power unit introduced at Zandvoort, so the revised turbo was more than a routine part swap. It was a targeted response to a problem that showed up after the earlier update arrived. Honda said the upgrade was meant to improve the way the unit delivered power, and the timing of the change suggests it wanted a more usable package in race conditions as soon as possible. Alonso later received the same turbocharger in Baku, giving both Aston Martin drivers access to the revised hardware. That sequence also shows how Honda and Aston Martin kept the development flowing across different races, with the same part moving from one car to the other. The gains, though, were modest. Shintaro Orihara said the performance improvement from the turbocharger change was small, which keeps expectations in check even as the upgrade addressed a clear drivability concern. The hardware was aimed at one issue, but it did not turn the power unit into a finished product.
Honda development outlook
Honda still believes there is more performance to unlock from the power unit, and it sees that potential coming from non-hardware development and future work. That point matters because it frames the turbo upgrade as one step in a wider development program rather than a final fix. Koji Watanabe said the first ADUO package and the improved turbo were developed in parallel instead of being launched together, which explains why Honda could continue refining the system after the opening upgrade had already reached the car. It also suggests the company was working on multiple paths at once, one focused on the initial package and another on the turbo solution. Even with the revised part in place, Honda said it and Aston Martin were not yet extracting the full potential of the power unit. That leaves room for progress without more ADUO hardware. The message from Honda is straightforward. The company has spent all of its seasonal upgrade opportunities, but it does not view the project as complete. The updated turbocharger answered a specific issue tied to turbo lag and drivability, yet Honda still sees gains available through development work and the broader effort to get more from the package already on the cars.
