Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso races during the 2023 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 7, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
High-flying Aston Martin will be powered by Honda engines from 2026 in what the Formula One team says is “the last piece of the jigsaw”.
This represents a return to F1 for Honda, who left in 2021 but retain links with Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
The tie up, announced on Wednesday, comes in the run-up to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with Aston Martin a surprise second to world champions Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
That lofty position is in no small part down to Fernando Alonso, the two-time former champion who has made the podium in four of this season’s five races as he revels in his switch from Alpine.
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Hailing the Honda link-up, Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, said: “Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula One.”
Aston will continue to be powered by Mercedes power units until 2026 when there is a sizeable shift in F1‘s technical landscape.
“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,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
“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.”
From 2026 Red Bull and AlphaTauri are linking up with Ford when the existing hybrid power units will rely more on electric energy using 100 percent sustainable fuel.
Audi are also joining the F1 grid from 2026 in a deal to power the Sauber team, currently racing as Alfa Romeo. The other constructors are Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault (Alpine).
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