London – Aston Martin's partner Honda, whose 2026 engine lags far behind that of rival Formula One manufacturers, could be allowed to spend $19 million more on development after next week's Canadian Grand Prix.

Motorsports' governing body, FIA, published an explanation on Wednesday of how Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities would be applied ​following the end of the first review period after Montreal.

The system provides an opportunity for a ‌manufacturer to ‌upgrade its power unit during a season if it is at least ​2% behind the best performing one.

Nikolas Tombazis, FIA's single-seater director, described it as a cost cap relief mechanism.

"It's not a magic bullet or like the FIA is handing out brownie ⁠points to somebody who's behind," he said.…