Aston Martin has been the standout performer this season, sitting second in the Constructor’s Championship just behind Red Bull, who are in a whole other world when compared to the rest of the field. Honda, who is the current engine supplier for Red Bull, pulled out of the deal to continue beyond the 2026 generation of cars. Earlier this week, in an extraordinary turn of events, Honda announced that they will partner with Aston Martin after the 2026 generation of cars and supply them with engines and other parts.
What changed for Honda? Is this the next big step for a team that had already made a huge leap forward? Could Aston Martin challenge the running order in the coming F1 seasons? Join us as we try and understand how this partnership could pave the way for success for Aston Martin and more. Make sure to visit LV BET Sports Blog for more interesting articles on Formula 1 and other major sports around the world.
Stroll’s lofty ambitions
It all started in 2018 when Lawrence Stroll took over mid-season after Force India fell into administration. The Canadian billionaire was clear from day one about his intentions to guide the team to the top, seducing Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari and then Fernando Alonso from Alpine in 2023. The facilities were not up to standard for what the team wanted to achieve, so he invested in a $250 million factory set to open in the early weeks of June.
The leap forward this year has been the biggest story in F1 this year. The team scored just six points last year, but this year, they enjoyed regular podiums spearheaded by Fernando Alonso. Lance Stroll is yet to really trouble the podium places this year with a somewhat sketchy start to the season for him.
Aston Martin’s engine supplier, Mercedes, forms part of the ‘big three’ by keeping their agreement with the Silver Arrows Aston Martin would be fuelling their own competitors with money. This agreement with Honda laments Stoll’s ambitions to make Aston Martin a strong force and potentially be part of ‘big four’.
Being a Mercedes customer also had drawbacks in terms of design, parts such as the rear and power unit could not be modified to be compatible with the Aston Martin’s design. So the move also gives them the ability to have a fully customised car from start to finish with all the parts in between. The CEO of Aston Martin, Martin Whitmarsh, stated that there was “some incompatibility”. With the main objective to beat the Mercedes works team, Aston Martin had to explore other options to take control of their destiny.
Honda’s F1 History
Providing engines for an F1 car could be tricky, the demand from the car is so immense that reliability issues could creep into the equation. Although Honda’s time in F1 was successful, there were some negatives along the way.
In 2008, it pulled the plug on its works F1 team after it reported huge losses due to the global financial crisis and sold the whole operation for £1. A year later, that team was rebranded as Brawn GP, which won both championships in 2009. A big return on investment was incoming as two companies, Daimler AG and Aabar Investments, purchased 75% stake in Brawn GP for a reported sum of £110.
Honda, now as an engine supplier, returned to the F1 grid in hopes it can rekindle the famed partnership with McLaren. That McLaren had no pace and struggled to keep reliability demons in check. In three seasons, McLaren failed to finish a race any higher than fifth, causing the partnership to be mutually terminated.
Red Bull came knocking as they swooped in and got Honda to supply the engines for their junior team Toro Rosso. They upgraded the deal and got Honda to supply their Red Bull team in 2019. But after their first championship win with Red Bull and Max Verstappen, the Japanese brand decided to halt progress on F1 and focus on their electric car program.
Another change of heart was on the cards, as F1’s aim was to move the sport to more electric-generated engines, Honda started to look at upping its involvement in Summer. After revising the regulations that will take over in 2026 onwards, the company saw an F1 future with Honda in it. Since Red Bull secured a deal to bring Ford back, that avenue was closed, and so Aston Martin was the natural option.
It would be a win-win situation, Honda could bring more experience to the Aston Martin team, guiding them to their best seasons.