Chinese GP

Alonso and Stroll Forced to Retire in Difficult Chinese Grand Prix

15^th March 2026: At the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Round 2 of the Formula 1 season began with only 18 cars after four failed to start. Fernando Alonso started 18th and briefly climbed to P10 after gaining places on the opening lap and overtaking two battling rivals, but after switching tyres on lap 32 he reported vibrations and retired two laps later. Lance Stroll, who started 21st, avoided an early incident and moved to P16 on lap one, but his car lost power at Turn 1 on lap 10, forcing him to stop and retire. The team expressed disappointment with the double DNF but noted some positives, including increased mileage compared to Melbourne and improved reliability during the Sprint weekend, while confirming investigations into Stroll’s power loss and acknowledging that vibration issues and overall reliability still need improvement ahead of the next race in Japan.

Indy Car, Arlington, Texas

Kirkwood Wins Inaugural Arlington IndyCar Race as Honda Sweeps Top Four

16^th March 2026: At the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington in Arlington, Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global claimed victory and the championship lead in the NTT IndyCar Series. Kirkwood led 16 laps on his way to his sixth career IndyCar win, finishing ahead of Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing, who also led 16 laps after starting second. Will Power secured third place for Andretti Global, marking his first podium with the team and completing a Honda-powered podium sweep. Teammate Marcus Ericsson finished fourth after taking pole position and leading 15 laps, while Felix Rosenqvist briefly led the remaining laps, ensuring Honda-powered cars led all 70 laps of the race.

X -Trial, SEVILLE

Bou and Marcelli winners of X-Trial of Nations

Sunday 16th March 2026: Repsol Honda HRC riders Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli secured victory for Spain at the X‑Trial of Nations held in Seville, earning another title for the Royal Spanish Motorcycle Federation. The Spanish duo dominated the event from the outset, topping the standings in the opening laps before confirming their superiority in the final to claim the crown. Great Britain’s Jack Peace and Harry Hemingway finished second, while Italy’s Matteo Grattarola and Francesco Titli completed the podium in third. The victory marks Bou’s tenth X-Trial of Nations title and the first indoor triumph for Marcelli, who already holds three outdoor team titles with Spain. The Repsol Honda HRC riders will next compete in the final round of the 2026 X‑Trial World Championship in Tarragona on April 18.

For more information and questions, please reach out to the below:

• Mr. Raj Johal, General Manager, Training, PR and Comms: Rajvinder.johal@honda-eu.com
• Ms. Suchita Tuli, Senior Executive, PR and Comms: Suchita.tuli@honda-eu.com