Aston Martin’s fast-improving Formula 1 team will ditch its current Mercedes-AMG engines in favour of Honda power in 2026.
Honda has confirmed it will design and build the power unit, tailored specifically for the Aston Martin chassis.
Currently, Aston Martin is supplied by Mercedes-AMG, a team with which it’s now rubbing shoulders in the race for spots on the Formula 1 podium.
Aston Martin Performance Technologies CEO Martin Whitmarsh said the partnership is “one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula One”.
Although it’s currently supporting Red Bull Racing under the Honda Racing Corporation banner, the Japanese carmaker was without a partner for Formula 1 from 2026.
It’s had a tumultuous relationship Formula 1 in the modern era, after seeing significant success in partnership with McLaren during the 1980s and 1990s.
It re-entered as engine supplier for McLaren in 2015 but struggled to make an impact, was picked up by Red Bull and Alpha Tauri in 2019, and announced it would move in 2021 from engine supplier to a technical partner in anticipation of a full withdrawal due to a global push towards electric vehicles.
Since then, whispers of (another) return to the grid have been bubbling away.
In a statement, Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe today said “we have re-established HRC as an optimal platform to sustain and further evolve motorsport activities as a Honda strength”.
Honda engines will go head-to-head with Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Renault, Audi, and Ford (which will supply Red Bull Racing) powertrains in 2026.
New engine rules will come into force in 2026 in Formula 1. Engines will be powered by sustainable e-fuels, the electrical components in the engine will become significantly more powerful, and overall outputs are tipped to top 1000hp.
