The change lands at the ugliest possible moment for Honda’s works partner Aston Martin. The Silverstone team sit 10th in the constructors’ standings on three points, ahead only of new entry Cadillac, and Sunday’s race at the Madring circuit in Madrid left them empty-handed again.
Honda framed the shake-up as forward planning rather than a response to results. Fukao, currently deputy leader of the F1 project and head of the software division, will take over on 1 October from Kakuda, who has led development of the current-generation power unit.
“This organisational change is a planned transition designed to ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers,” the manufacturer said.
Honda also pointed at the rulebook. The 2026 regulations, which lifted the electric share of the power unit to roughly half of total output, are only in their first season, and further changes are expected from 2027.
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Fukao’s software track record
Fukao joined Honda in 2002 and has moved between the F1 and MotoGP programmes and production hybrid systems across more than two decades. He returned to the F1 project in 2014 as control systems development manager, became deputy project leader, and has held his current role since 2022. His profile is heavy on the software and energy-deployment side of the modern power unit, which is the core battleground under the new engine rules.
An engine still misbehaving in Madrid
The backdrop is grim. Aston Martin have scored just three points all season, and the Madrid weekend produced no relief.
Alonso was twice-lapped in 17th after early damage, while Stroll retired with brake trouble.
The Spaniard was blunt about the power unit afterwards.
“The engine was very bad today, the boost control was difficult,” he said.
An upgraded Honda specification was introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix, but both drivers have kept flagging driveability problems since. Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack has acknowledged the gap between chassis and engine progress.
“On the chassis side you can make progress quicker than on the power unit side,” he said.
Six rounds left, then the 2027 rules
Fukao takes over a project with two jobs running in parallel: keep improving the current unit for the six rounds still to run in 2026, and lock in the development framework Honda wants for the regulation tweaks arriving in 2027.
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His tenure begins on 1 October.
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