Honda admit cooling underestimate after Aston Martin double retirement in Mexico City

Honda has accepted responsibility for the double retirement suffered by Aston Martin at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both failed to finish. Trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the manufacturer had underestimated the cooling demands of the high-altitude circuit, with the ERS cooling circuit under heavier stress than anticipated.

Alonso had already been compromised by power unit trouble in qualifying, which restricted him to P17 on the grid. Stroll was affected by the same issue, and both cars were forced to retire on Lap 5 of 71. Orihara said the fault had shown no warning signs in earlier practice runs before resurfacing when it mattered most.

Honda intends to use the setback to inform its redesigned power unit for 2027, with Orihara saying the team has a lot of data to bring back to the circuit next year, including on turbo lag.