Honda is waking up Aston Martin. Or at least giving it more reasons to grow. Especially since 2025 is proving to be a catastrophic year for Fernando Alonso’s team. For this reason, and almost like a glimmer of light in the darkness, Honda has given some guidelines to reassure Aston Martin, but also to offer its best version, both the Japanese and the green team.
Honda awakens Aston Martin
And this is also to provide the motivation that Fernando Alonso may need today. At 43 years of age, after coming close to glory with Aston Martin in 2023 and then fighting for the middle of the pack again in 2024, he needs something to hold on to in order to continue with the same hunger as always.
The truth is that the 2025 season looks set to be even worse than the last one, but it also looks set to change dramatically in 2026. A new factory, a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, the signing of Adrian Newey, an alliance with Honda… there are reasons to be excited about the new regulations.
Honda now faces a second stage with Fernando Alonso
Here, as we say, the Japanese come in. And they do so facing their second stage with the Asturian, after a start at McLaren that simply did not work out. Now, with Aston Martin, they arrive with much more experience and running in. Koji Watanabe, head of Honda Racing, reflected on the present and future of F1.
“Our Honda staff… had difficulties in some ways because it was something new that they had to put all their effort into for the first three years,” Watanabe said.
“We had interrupted the Formula 1 project, so we weren’t ready in 2015. We started from scratch. Now we’re not starting from scratch, we’re in a much better position and the development of the 2026 engine is progressing as planned and is much smoother,” he concluded.
In this regard, although the architecture will remain a V6 Turbo, the most significant change in the 2026 engines will come from the electrical side. We will say goodbye to the MGU-H, which currently uses heat from the car’s exhaust gases to drive the turbo, and the MGU-K will see its importance tripled in terms of providing power to the car.
This element will be able to deliver up to 350 kilowatts per lap (475 horsepower), compared to the current 163. In addition, the fuel must be 100% biofuel, a situation that could cause more than one reliability problem and loss of power in the engines, as was seen last season with Mercedes and Ferrari.
The brand sees Aston Martin as a great opportunity to win after its success with Red Bull
And that will probably be one of the strongest points of Honda’s new Power Unit for 2026, and one that Aston Martin bosses like the most, as Lawrence Stroll himself said. “We share a mutual drive, determination and ambition to succeed on the track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is incredibly impressive and long-standing,” said the Silverstone-based company’s executive chairman.
With Red Bull signing with another brand (its own, Red Bull Powertrains, in partnership with Ford), Honda saw Aston Martin as a great opportunity to return as a full-fledged power unit manufacturer. What’s more, the ‘H’ brand believes that the new engine regulations, with their higher percentage of electrification and a move towards carbon neutrality, are what have made Formula 1 compatible again with the Japanese giant’s massive electric plans.
“The biggest factor in making this decision this time has been the direction the new 2026 regulations are taking, which is moving towards carbon neutrality,” said HRC president Koji Watanabe.