The return of Honda to Formula 1 in 2026 alongside Aston Martin is generating great excitement. After its success with Red Bull (three constructors’ championships and four drivers’ world championships with Max Verstappen), the Japanese firm wants to repeat its success with the Silverstone team.
Its president, Koji Watanabe, has made it clear that his only condition is to win. With technical regulations that will transform the category, Honda is expecting an impossible challenge, although they must have great confidence in their alliance with Aston Martin, as this could be the key to success.
Honda and the new regulations
The regulatory change in 2026 will bring about a radical change in Formula 1 as the new power units will have a greater electrical component (almost 50% of total energy), the MGU-H will disappear and the fuel will be 100% sustainable. For Honda, these changes are a complicated challenge to tackle. However, the Japanese firm learned from its return to Formula 1 in 2015 with McLaren and demonstrated this with the success it has achieved with Red Bull in recent years, so they hope not to repeat the mistakes of the past and once again become a benchmark in this new era of Formula 1 that begins next year.
Koji Watanabe admits the complexity of the new challenge: “The set of rules for the 2026 powertrain is technically very difficult and challenging. There is no easy way.” However, he also states that the only request to Aston Martin is to fight for victory.
Aston Martin and Honda
The change of engine from Mercedes to Honda means a complete change in the structure of the team: Andy Cowell, CEO of Aston Martin and team director, will be in charge of leading this transition, aware that changes in regulations are the opportunities that teams need to take the step forward.
“Whenever there is a change in regulations, there is an opportunity to do better than others. It’s a kind of reset”. This change of engines involves modifying the aerodynamics and the tires, it is not enough to just change the engine, it is a bigger challenge.
Watanabe insists on the need to work together with Aston Martin: “Our main objective is to establish a good working relationship with our factory partner Aston Martin. We have no plans to expand and supply more teams for now.”
Honda’s plan to dominate with Aston Martin
Honda is clear that its commitment is to Aston Martin and, although it does not rule out collaborating with other teams in the future, the objective now is for Aston Martin to become a winning team.
“We will give our best. That is our philosophy and our only request: to make sure we win.” Honda does not want to return to F1 to tread softly, it wants to write a new page of success in the premier class of motorsport.
Aston Martin and Honda want to usher in a new era in F1 from 2026; with clear ideas, an experienced technical team and a very strong spirit, the 2026 season could be the beginning of a new era of dominance on the grid. Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso have high hopes for this new project and expect to be able to place the AMR26 among the best on the grid and be able to fight to reach the top of Formula 1. Only time will tell if this alliance is capable of climbing to the top of the F1 World Championship and placing Aston Martin, a team that is making a large financial investment, among the best in the world.