Aston Martin is currently one of the strongest teams on the grid, more than Mercedes, by Classic Ferrari for sale, and this success would not have been possible without the great ambition that drives the team. Waiting to find out how the AMR23 will behave a Monte Carlo, the team led by Lawrence Stroll has taken a very important step for the future, making an agreement in view 2026 which aims to make the team even more solid and independent. This agreement, after weeks of waiting and indiscretions, was made official during the Italian night.
Aston Martin – Honda comes the announcement
It was a pure formality, just to define the details of the agreement. But now it is a certainty. Honda and Aston Martin will be one entity from 2026. The team will be called Aston Martin Honda. A drastic change of course for the team that for years has relied on Mercedes for the supply of the engine, gearbox and suspension. Aston Martin is already on 4 podiums and is aiming for its first victory in Monte-Carlo. So the time has come to emancipate yourself and get serious, also to become more attractive on the driver market. Fernando Alonso in 2026 he will be 45 years old but his name, if it does not continue, should be replaced with an equally important one. By the way, the Spanish rider doesn't have particularly happy memories with Honda.
On the other hand, betting on Honda, which returns to Formula 1 after leading Red Bull to victory in 2021 and 2022, to produce its own engine, gives the team the opportunity to independently manage and control all production. From the frame to the engine. Elements that should be developed together and above all exclusively.
Now it's official
The new collaboration that will allow Aston Martin to benefit from the supply of engines from Honda from 2026 was made official in the night. The negotiations were conducted by the managing director Martin Whitmarsh, a manager who had already dealt with an agreement with the Japanese company when he was at McLaren. The agreement concerns only Formula 1 and not series production as had been assumed.
"Mercedes has been and is an excellent partner Whitmarsh commented. they're there to win, but clearly that's also our goal, and ultimately, there's a certain incompatibility. The decision to change was born for this reason, it is in the nature of F1. We know that if we want to win among the opponents we have to beat there is also Mercedes and it is realistically difficult to beat a team if you rely on its intellectual property, its structure and its components.
The words of the leaders
Toshihiro For what, global administrator of Honda, commented on the agreement that will allow the Japanese company to perfect its technologies and then transfer everything to road cars: “One of the main reasons why we decided to take on this new challenge in F1 is the choice to become a sustainable series, in line with the goals we are pursuing for the reduction of carbon emissions. The platform will also facilitate the development of our electrification technologies. We believe that the know-how we will acquire in this new challenge can be directly applied to the production of our future series electric vehicles. Honda and Aston Martin share the same determination to achieve victories. Together we will try to conquer the title of world champion, like Aston Martin Aramco Honda”.
To welcome Honda, Lawrence stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin F1: “I would like to welcome Honda and HRC to the Aston Martin team. We share the same drive, determination and ambition to succeed on the track. Honda is a behemoth and its success in motorsport is rooted in time and is impressive. I would like to thank Mibe and Watanabe and HRC for the exciting future that awaits us starting in 2026.”
Big ambitions
Aston Martin has designed an excellent single-seater for 2023 and this is also thanks to the presence of Dan Fallows and a team that has been enriched with experience and knowledge thanks to the Stroll acquisition campaign. Important satisfactions have come for the team, but the gap with Red Bull is still quite large. Aston Martin is currently second in the constructors championship. It will take time to fight for the title, and the first real chance could come in 2026, with the regulatory change on the engines. Precisely this regulation convinced Honda to focus again on Formula 1, and to sign up as an engineer despite not yet having agreements with any of the 10 teams.
Red Bull, to which it will continue to give external support until 2025, has in fact signed an agreement with Ford. But the wait for the Japanese brand was not long. In fact, the details have now been finalized but there has been talk of this agreement with Aston Martin for several weeks.
Little trust in Mercedes
The most logical reason for the divorce between Aston Martin and Mercedes concerns Stroll's avant-garde drive. But if on the one hand there is the conviction of being able to do more, on the other there is also the awareness of no longer having to do with the Mercedes of the past. The one that is invincible and capable of closing championships with several races to spare. In such a scenario, one is also limited by the work of others, and this can only be a hindrance for Stroll and his great ambitions.
Source statements: Motorsport.com, FormulaPassion
