Juan Pablo Montoya has backed Aston Martin “100%” to improve more than Williams in 2027, as F1’s regulation change will help Honda to develop a more powerful engine.

Aston Martin and Williams have both failed to meet expectations this season, as much more was hoped for in Silverstone and Grove before the introduction of the 2026 regulations. The idea of Aston Martin becoming title contenders in 2026 was even raised prior to this season.

Many in the paddock had high hopes for Aston Martin, having brought design legend Adrian Newey to the team and started a factory engine partnership with Honda. Williams were also tipped to make a strong start to 2026 after betting on the new regulations earlier than most.

Juan Pablo Montoya backs Aston Martin and Honda to improve with F1’s engine rule changes for 2027

The reality of the situation at Aston Martin and Williams quickly proved to be far worse than many expected, however. Williams missed the start of pre-season testing due to delays with their 2026 car, which then hit the track massively overweight and lacking downforce (which still remains a problem that the Grove squad will not now overcome until the 2027 season).

Aston Martin are already looking ahead to 2027, as well, with only point-less F1 debutants Cadillac scoring fewer points than the seven that Aston Martin boast. Fernando Alonso has provided all seven of Aston Martin’s points – with Lance Stroll yet to finish higher than 12th after 18 of the 23 rounds – while Williams have 12, from Carlos Sainz (7) and Alex Albon (5).

A lot will depend on whether Honda’s aim of gaining 50hp with Aston Martin’s 2027 engine is realistic, as reports have claimed their 2026 power unit lacks up to 80hp compared to the best PUs. But Montoya thinks F1 adapting the power split from a near 50/50 share between electric and combustion to 58/42 in 2027 will help Honda give Aston Martin a better engine.

Montoya told AS: “If you were to ask me, ‘Hey, when we’re talking about Williams, do you reckon Williams are going to bring something new and innovative, or Aston?’ I’d put my money 100 per cent on Aston, knowing Adrian Newey and given his track record.

“The question regarding Honda is, what can Honda do? One thing that’s going to help Honda is that the regulations have changed slightly for next year’s engines, because they have to produce more [combustion] power as they’re being given more fuel and so on.

“The combustion chamber and the whole engine are going to change. It might help them a lot, because if it had stayed the same, I don’t know.

“A lot of people had been working on this engine for years under the previous regulations and had it fine-tuned like a Mercedes or a Ferrari, whereas they started later with the new set-up with Aston Martin, so I think they’re playing catch-up.

“So, having to change the combustion system and all that might help them close the gap a little bit.”

The five F1 engine manufacturers agreed to change the power split from next season, after quickly accepting that the move to almost a 50/50 share between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and battery in 2026 was a mistake. So, from 2027, the ICE will account for 58% of the power output, and a move to a 60/40 split favouring the ICE will then follow in 2028.

F1 will change the fuel-flow rate to the ICE by 5% and then 13% to allow for the increase in combustion power from around 536hp to 563hp in 2027 and 603hp in 2028. The amount of electrical power will also be reduced, at the same time as increasing the limit for harvesting.

Whether the changes will be enough for Honda to remove what has been Aston Martin’s big Achilles heel in 2026 remains to be seen. It also remains to be seen whether Honda can find enough power with their 2027 engine to tempt Aston Martin to continue their partnership.

It is said that Aston Martin have issued Honda an ultimatum that they are not afraid to look for a new engine supplier from 2028 if the Japanese brand’s PU is not capable of fighting for the top 10 at the start of 2027. However, Red Bull are not interested in selling their engines to Aston Martin, which could leave a reunion with Mercedes as their most viable avenue.