Kardile: The British are less emotional, and that is their strength.

      In 2026 Formula 1 will move to next‑generation machinery – both chassis and power units will change, and many teams will switch engine suppliers. In particular, Aston Martin cars will be fitted with Honda power units, and the British team is confident that the collaboration with the Japanese corporation will be successful.

      “Mostly I’m focused on the new chassis and I rarely see what the Japanese engine people are doing,” said Enrico Cardile, Aston Martin F1’s new technical director, speaking on the official championship podcast Beyond The Grid. “But what I do see amazes me: they are so deeply immersed in this project and take a very aggressive approach to every aspect of it. They are receptive to all the requests that come from us, the chassis designers.

      “Honda will supply its power units only to Aston Martin, and that has its downsides, but I tend to see the positive side. In the process of creating the engine the engineers try to make their engines meet only our preferences – the advantage is that they don’t have to look for compromise solutions in response to requests from different teams.

      “Moreover, I believe they will be able to carry out more intensive development of the power unit, since Honda will be supplying its engines only to our team.”

      Cardile is Italian and spent the previous 20 years at Ferrari; having moved to the UK and felt the difference in the way Aston Martin approaches things, he believes there are advantages to it:

      “Undoubtedly, people here are less emotional, and that is their strength. I really like that trait. You see, sometimes being passionately absorbed in what you do is a plus. However, there is another side: when problems arise, under pressure you react too emotionally.

      “In that respect the British are more resilient: they remain calm even when the pressure mounts, and they keep moving toward the goal without losing concentration.”

      Cardile has known Fernando Alonso since the Spaniard’s stint with Ferrari, and even then he appreciated the driver’s professionalism: “He’s a very smart person, and he has an incredible memory. He can not only compare the characteristics of cars from different generations: Fernando remembers how a particular corner felt not only this year but in the previous season as well, and can explain in which car he felt more comfortable. So we have a good understanding of his preferences.

      “In general all drivers share the ability to describe the sensations they experience while driving in practice. They can detail what happens in literally a few milliseconds, as if they are watching slow‑motion video.

      “On a lap they have minimal time to register different aspects of the car’s behavior, but they can perceive everything with incredible precision and then articulate their preferences just as precisely, so that, after lowering the visor on their helmet, they can extract from the car everything it’s capable of.”