Aston Martin choose Honda power units from 2026 onwards
Aston Martin have signed a deal with Honda to become the official works engine partner to the team from the 2026 season onwards.
Aston Martin have announced that Honda will be making a comeback with the British team after leaving the sport in 2021. The Japanese car giant will be supplying the team with power units from 2026 onwards when the new engine regulations come into effect. The deal means that the tenuous relationship with Mercedes will come to end in 2025 after they were engine supplies to the team. Mercedes became the teams engine supplier back in 2009 when the KERS system was first introduced and has continued since then.
The last time F1 saw Honda as an engine supplier it had helped Max Verstappen and Red Bull to their first drivers world championship since 2013 with Sebastian Vettel. However Honda power does remain in F1 after a deal was struck to keep using the engines until the end of 2025 but under Red Bull Powertrains. Red Bull have since signed a deal with Ford for 2026 that was announced at the beginning of the 2023 season at their car launch in New York.
Fernando Alonso is also familiar with Honda power as they were McLaren's engine suppliers from 2015 to 2017. In that time Alonso had heavily criticised the Honda PU due to its reliability and lack of straight line speed which meant he could not keep up with the cars in front. With Alonso at Aston Martin and looking to stay there for the foreseeable future it he could be using Honda power units once again. Honda has already shed light on what it will be like working with the Spaniard again with them saying that it has "no objections" over the subject and considering it was eight years ago now it is water under the bridge.
Aston Martin have gotten their 2023 season off to an amazing start with four podiums in five races with Fernando Alonso leading the team. After a poor first two years in the sport 2023 looks completely different for the team with the results the pace they have shown being the second fastest car on the grid and currently occupying second place in the constructors championship.
Honda has also revealed that it had multiple offers from teams up and down the grid for the 2026 season but with Aston Martin's target of winning races and championships within 100 races since it joined the grid in 2021 is what won the Honda contract. The other deciding factor was a visit to the new £200m Aston Martin factory at Silverstone which showed why they were the best option for Honda.