Aston Martin and Honda will work together when the new engine regulations start in 2026.At a press conference regarding Honda Motorsport Activities, the Japanese manufacturer and Aston Martin Racing confirmed that Honda will provide engines for the Silverstone team in a works partnership from 2026 onwards.Honda announced in 2020 that they would leave F1 after the 2021 season. But after their success with Red Bull Racing, culminating in Max Verstappen winning the drivers’ World Championship, Honda’s new administration showed interest in continuing at Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer.
But as Red Bull created the Red Bull Powertrains division and could arrange a partnership with American manufacturer Ford, Honda would have to find a new partner for the future.This partner came from the Aston Martin project. Since Lawrence Stroll bought the Force India F1 Team in 2018, renaming it Racing Point, then changing definitively the brand to Aston Martin, he has invested in a new factory, bringing new engineers and personnel from top running teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull and on having top-tier drivers partnering Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel in 2021 and 2022 and Fernando Alonso on a three-year deal.As the first two years of Aston Martin were far from impressive, the third year of the brand at the Silverstone team showed great improvement, with Fernando Alonso currently third in the championship standings, with four podiums out of five races and the team being second in the Constructors’, ahead of former World Champions Ferrari and Mercedes.This could be a big step towards a World Championship for the Silverstone-based team. A feat that they could never conquer since Eddie Jordan established the team.Lawrence Stroll said: “We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is longstanding and incredibly impressive.”Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe admitted that F1’s plan of Carbon Neutrality and increased electrification matched Honda’s vision for the future of the automotive market:“One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.
“Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology.“We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development.“Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.“Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which made a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula 1 Group, which has been enhancing the brand value of F1 and ensuring F1’s evolvement as the most prestigious automobile racing in the world.”
Photo credit: Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team
