Aston Martin signed an engine deal with Honda from 2026

Honda will supply engines to the Aston Martin Formula 1 team from 2026. From that season onwards, new engines will be used, with most of the power coming from a hybrid system. The engines will be greener and also easier to manufacture than current materials.

It will be the third project for the Japanese brand in a tumultuous hybrid era for Honda. In 2015, Honda entered Formula 1 as engine supplier to McLaren. The project is a total failure. For three years, British cars were more often off the track than driving around. McLaren had seen enough and moved on with Renault in 2018.

After testing for a year with Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s sister team, Honda provided the engine to Max Verstappen’s team from 2019. But even before Red Bull and Honda began their title hunt two years ago, the brand announced that it would stop as an engine supplier after 2021 because it wanted to focus more on sustainable projects. The polluting System 1 no longer fits into the picture.

When Verstappen became world champion in 2021, Honda decided to continue working with Red Bull. Not as a service provider, but as a technical partner. This partnership is currently ongoing, with Honda and Red Bull managing the engine together. In 2026, Red Bull will switch to an agreement with Ford.

Aston Martin currently uses Mercedes engines, and owner Lawrence Stroll’s team is also working with the German manufacturer in other areas. However, this contract expires in 2025, paving the way for Honda to join Aston Martin from 2026. The fact that the new engine is more sustainable gives the brand more reason to get into the game (again).

An interesting fact is that Fernando Alonso is currently the star driver of Aston Martin. The Spaniard drove for three years at McLaren with poor Honda engines at the time and never hid his criticism. “GP2 Engine,” Alonso once shouted on the radio, referring to the fact that his engine was the same in power as the second car of the time.

The relationship at that time is no longer a problem for Honda, although the question remains whether the 41-year-old Alonso will still drive with the team.