After the McLaren fiasco, why did Alonso want to work with Honda again?

After the announcement of his extension within Aston Martin for at least two additional years, Fernando Alonso will therefore return to Honda in 2026. We can ask questions about the relationship between the Spaniard and the Japanese engine manufacturer, who have already collaborated between 2015 and 2017. , during Nando’s second stint with the McLaren team. It should be said that at the time, the 2005 and 2006 world champion had repeatedly criticized the poor performance of the single-seater, even directly attacking the engine level on his car radio where he announced “GP Engine! GP2!” An item that has remained a cult in the Formula 1 world.

But water has flowed under the bridge, and the Japanese company has returned as the engine manufacturer of Red Bull and Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) since 2018. After 2021, the start of the reign of Max Verstappen and his team, Honda officially withdrew. although it continued its partnership by supplying powertrains to Red Bull Powertrains, which handles maintenance. Technical support will therefore end after the 2025 season, when Honda will become Aston Martin’s engine manufacturer.

📻 “GP2 engine! GP2!”

🗓️ #GPGP 2015: Fernando Alonso’s best radio? 😂 pic.twitter.com/9VGdWBMOFb

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) October 4, 2022

A strong partner for Aston Martin

The two-time reigning champion tells us that contrary to what one might think, Honda’s arrival at Aston Martin was one of these terms of extension. With the new technical regulations, the role that the engine will obviously play will still be important and with the knowledge gained from this period of dominance for the Japanese engine manufacturer, Alonso believes that he has the best project in F1.

“It was, for me, I had to introduce a new principle and a new project, with a new wind tunnel. And also with Honda as a partner. It was something very important for me. And if I decided to stay. with Aston, it is partly because you are with Honda for 2026, but also because they have Aramco, the biggest and best partner in the world, I think the level of discipline and the level of commitment they show in general is at another level in Japan. And that also translates to Honda, I also worked with Toyota in the endurance championship and I know this kind of discipline very well they would choose our project and our engine First, because I think they dominate the sport, as I said now, and they have a very strong engine in Red Bull and Racing Bulls. And because with new energy and new principles, they have all the tools to succeed.

He still went back to their first unsuccessful experience in Formula 1, about which he has no bitterness. Instead, he seems impatient to work with them, recalling that he had already driven a one-seater powered by Honda (At Indianapolis 2017).

“Honda is a very successful manufacturer today in Formula 1, and not only in Formula 1, in the world of motor sports. It has always been a company that I have respected. It did not work for us at McLaren, in the years when they returned to the game, but once they solved all the problems and they are currently dominating the sport. They have been world champions in recent years. So I think they have a base for 2026 which is already very strong. This year 2026 is interesting and I hope that after the experience with McLaren-Honda and IndyCar also, now we have this opportunity to work together again. It’s a real pleasure for me.”

💬🇪🇸 Fernando Alonso confirmed that Honda’s arrival in 2026 clearly worked in favor of a contract extension, almost 10 years after the famous “GP2 engine”!

“The decision to stay with Aston is because they are with Honda for 2026.”

“Ya… pic.twitter.com/CDfhUODuga

– Sector F1 (@Secteur_F1) April 11, 2024

Read also:

Join in Moto-Moto on WhatsApp so you don’t miss any car and 2 wheeler news!