Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso says he has “no problem” working with Honda again should he still be driving in Formula 1 in 2026 when the Japanese manufacturer begins its partnership with Aston Martin.
On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix, Aston Martin and Honda announced their future collaboration from the 2026 season when Formula 1 introduces new engine regulations, prompting Honda to return as a power unit supplier to the British team.
History with Honda
Fernando Alonso, for his part, has worked with Honda in the past, when he drove for McLaren between 2015 and 2017, but the Spaniard was highly critical of the Japanese engine-maker and did not hesitate to drop a now cult phrase on the radio in F1, the famous “GP2 engine” at the Japanese Grand Prix on Honda’s home turf.
Asked on Thursday in Monaco whether he would have any problem working with Honda again if he stayed in Formula 1 in 2026, Alonso replied:
“I don’t know what I’ll be doing in 2026, I’d be lying if I told you I knew right now.
“For sure I feel fresh, I feel motivated now, I feel sharp, still fast, and if I continue to enjoy myself, I would like to continue racing.”
READ MORE: Marko blasts Honda as “restrictive”
“But maybe one day I’ll wake up and maybe I won’t feel as motivated or happy to keep travelling and all that kind of stuff.”
“Maybe also I won’t feel as fast anymore and in that case I’ll be the first one to raise my hand and say maybe it’s time [to stop].”
MORE F1 NEWS: Hamilton to Ferrari update
Do not have issue with Honda
Despite the bad experience, Alonso says he doesn’t have any issues with working alongside Honda again, although one might surmise that perhaps the Japanese manufacturer could take issue with the Spaniard.
“And then, working with Honda again, I won’t have any problem with that. I know it didn’t work out last time, but maybe it was even worse for some of my teammates like Stoffel [Vandoorne] who had just dominated in F3 and F2 and joined the project who maybe wasn’t quite ready at the time.”
“But I think they [Honda] have proved that they now have a competitive package. They won the championship in 2021, the championship in 2022 and they will most likely win the championship in 2023, so I think they now have a very strong package.”
“It will be a new set of regulations, and I think it will be a very exciting project for sure,” concluded the Aston Martin driver.
READ MORE: Wolff downplays radical new Mercedes
