Official: Honda to power Aston Martin in F1 in 2026. The long-awaited announcement is now official, the Japanese manufacturer Honda will power the Aston Martin team in Formula 1 from the 2026 season.

Officially, Honda left F1 at the end of 2021, after a seven-year stint in the sport that culminated in a World Drivers’ Championship win for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 2021. The Japanese firm then continued its relationship with Red Bull via a power unit support agreement, which will continue until the end of 2025, and won both championships in 2022.

Attractive new regulations for Honda

When F1 unveiled its new engine regulations for 2026, Honda was attracted by the requirement to use 100 per cent sustainable fuels and the greater emphasis on electric power, as it offered synergies with the car company’s aims to develop its range of electric and hybrid passenger cars.

But with Red Bull pursuing its own path with an in-house powertrain division (Red Bull PowerTrains), aided by its new partner, US auto giant Ford, Honda had to look elsewhere – and so signed a deal with Aston Martin, which wanted to find a factory partner to develop a bespoke engine for the team.

Honda statement

Mercedes, a partner of the Silverstone-based team since 2009, will continue to supply Aston Martin with engines, as well as the gearbox and rear suspension, until the end of 2025.

“One of the main reasons for our decision to take on the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s most prestigious form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming for in moving towards carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform that will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe.

“Honda is a company with a history of growth through challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key to winning will be a compact, lightweight and powerful electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and fast power output, as well as energy management technology.”

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“We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass-production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development.”

“Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so from the 2026 season onwards, we will work together and strive for the championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.”

“Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, who made the bold decision to introduce these demanding new regulations to ensure the sustainability of racing and the global environment, and for the Formula One Group, who have strengthened the brand value of F1 and ensured the evolution of F1 as the world’s most prestigious motor race.”

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Aston Martin statement

On the Aston Martin side, brand boss Lawrence Stroll welcomed the new agreement with “global titan” Honda.

“We share an unwavering motivation, determination and ambition to succeed on the right track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is long-standing and incredibly impressive,” said Stroll.

Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Coorporation, also said that Honda – which will be entering its fifth stint in F1 – does not intend to supply power units to “any other party” than Aston Martin from the 2026 season.

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