Honda have registered as a Formula 1 power unit supplier from 2026 onwards, but it hasn’t been clear which team they will power, until today: Aston Martin is their new partner.
“I would like to welcome Honda and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team,” billionaire boss Lawrence Stroll confirmed. “We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track.
Honda announced they would leave F1 in 2021, just as they were powering Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to his first Drivers’ Crown that year, but they remained working with Red Bull on a supplier agreement still supplying them with power units.
Red Bull, on the other hand, did not wait but immediately announced they would be producing their own power units from 2026 onwards, when the new F1 power unit regulations kick in, with Ford announced as their partner early in 2023.
Honda also expressed their interest to remain in F1 as a power unit supplier, with the new regulations piquing the Japanese firm’s interest, but one question remained, and that was: Who will Honda power in 2026?
Following speculation and rumours in the F1 community, a report in La Gazetta dello Sport reported a done deal, which comes after earlier reports claimed that Honda may re-join forces with McLaren in 2026.
Aston Martin are on an upwards trajectory, and Chairman Stroll is not hiding his ambition for the team to become Championship Contenders, and with the leap in performance they have achieved between 2022 and 2023, Stroll’s ambitions do not seem far-fetched.
Aston Martin remain a power unit customer
AMF1 Team has today announced it is entering into a works partnership with Honda from 2026.
The Japanese manufacturer will supply power units to the team from the 2026 season.
Find out more below.
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) May 24, 2023
Aston Martin are the second fastest team in F1 in 2023, behind Red Bull, with Fernando Alonso clinching four podiums for the team in the first five races of the season, and the chance of getting a victory in 2023 being a serious prospect for the Spaniard.
Up to now, Aston Martin remain clients of Mercedes, who supply them with power units, gearboxes, and suspension elements, which may be a hindrance once the team pushes for more success on the track, which makes shopping around for an exclusive power unit agreement the best path forwards.
However, the potential of an agreement raises some questions, given that Daimler, Mercedes’ mother company also are a shareholder in Aston Martin Lagonda Group. How will they react to that?
Another question is Fernando Alonso’s presence, as the double F1 Champion seemed to have burnt all the bridges with Honda during their collaboration at McLaren, the proud Japanese no doubt not forgetting the time he labelled their power unit a “GP2 Engine”.
But with the partnership not kicking off until 2026, chances are, the driver who is now 41 won’t be with the team by that time, thus removing any obstacles from Honda’s perspective.