Honda will return to Formula 1 in 2026 and join forces with Aston Martin | Formula 1®
Japanese manufacturer Honda will embark on a full return to Formula 1 in 2026 as factory powertrain supplier to Aston Martin. Honda left Formula One at the end of 2021, after a seven-year stint in the sport that culminated in a World Drivers’ Championship win at the hands of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
They continued their relationship with Red Bull through a Power Unit support deal that runs until the end of 2025 and won both championships in 2022.
When Formula 1 unveiled its new engine regulations for 2026, Honda was lured by the 100% sustainable fuels mandate and increased focus on electric power as it offered synergies with the car company’s goals.
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But with Red Bull pursuing its own path with its own powertrain division, with the support of its new partner, American car giant Ford, Honda had to look elsewhere – and signed a deal with Aston Martin, who were keen to find a works partner – one bespoke for the team develop engine.
Mercedes, a partner of the Silverstone-based team since 2009, will continue to supply Aston Martin with powertrains, transmissions and rear suspension until the end of 2025.
Honda will join forces with Aston Martin
“One of the main reasons for our decision to take on the new challenge in Formula 1 is that the world’s premier racing class is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with Honda’s goal of becoming carbon neutral platform that will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
“Honda is a company that has always grown by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new regulations for 2026, the key to victory will be a compact, lightweight and powerful electric motor with a high-capacity battery that can handle high and fast power delivery, and energy management technology.
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“We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be directly applied to our future mass-produced electric vehicles, such as a flagship electric sport model, and to electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL, which is currently being explored will.” and development.
“Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same genuine spirit and determination to win. That is why we will work together from the 2026 season and aim for the championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.”
“Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which has taken a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula 1 Group, which protects Honda’s brand equity F1 and ensuring the development of F1 into the most prestigious automobile race in the world.”
Aston Martin F1 Team owner Lawrence Stroll has described Honda as a global titan
Lawrence Stroll, Owner of Aston Martin, said: “We share a shared drive, determination and relentless ambition to succeed on the track. Honda is a global giant and its motorsport track record is long-standing and incredibly impressive.”
Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation – the Honda racing division that will lead the project – added: “Amid major changes in our business and in the motorsport environment leading to the transition to a carbon neutral society, we have established HRC as optimal platform to maintain and further develop motorsport activities as a Honda strength. We will establish sustainable operating structures for our racing activities and continue to bring more dreams and excitement to motorsport fans around the world.”
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Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, added: “The new powerplant regulations for Formula 1 2026 are a huge and important change, but we are confident that together we can successfully master them.” Together with our strategic partner Aramco we can look forward to open collaboration towards a common goal.
“Our future factory partnership with Honda is one of the final pieces of the puzzle that is being put together for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula 1. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our current powertrain supplier, with whom we will continue to work for the coming seasons.”
Watanabe also said that Honda – which is contesting its fifth Formula One stint – has no plans to supply powertrains to “parties other than Aston Martin” from 2026 onwards.
Breaking news: Aston Martin will switch to Honda power from 2026