Honda recall engineers from ‘solar panels’ projects to help save Aston Martin F1 team

Aston Martin is set to receive a significant upgrade to their power unit from Honda at the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, which is expected to enhance their performance on the track. The team is particularly focused on improving their internal combustion engine, with hopes of gaining half a second per lap, although they may face grid penalties due to prior component usage by their drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Honda's engineers, who previously contributed to Red Bull's success, have returned to assist in this project after a period of working on other initiatives, such as solar panels.

Despite initial struggles and comparisons to their past partnership with McLaren, Aston Martin is optimistic about the upcoming season's second half. The team has recently shown signs of improvement, including their first Q2 appearance of the year. The new Honda engine is seen as a crucial part of their strategy to close the performance gap to leading teams, as they have been losing significant time on the track compared to competitors like Mercedes.