Honda president insists their F1 staff are properly ‘qualified’ after Adrian Newey concerns

Honda president Koji Watanabe defended the company's staff rotation policy following concerns raised by Aston Martin's Adrian Newey. Newey previously stated that Honda's title-winning core from Red Bull had largely disbanded, leaving Aston Martin with inexperienced personnel. In response, Watanabe insisted Honda maintains qualified racing professionals and confirmed the organization will continue rotating personnel between Formula 1 and other technological divisions.

Watanabe explained that rotating staff across projects such as aerospace, fuel cells, and automotive development is a core philosophy established by founder Soichiro Honda. Despite Aston Martin scoring just seven points amid a recognized engine power deficit, Honda has recently recalled several former Red Bull engineers and named Yoichiro Fukao as their new Formula 1 engine chief to replace Tetsushi Tsunoda.