Honda, which has teamed up with Aston Martin, will not object to working with Fernando Alonso again. They have already moved on from the past.
On Wednesday, Aston Martin and Honda announced that, in 2026, they would team up and tackle Formula 1’s new rules cycle. The significance of the engine partner agreement is that Honda follows longtime friend Fernando Alonso, who previously fled McLaren and Formula 1 mainly because of them, who joins the Aston this year and he succeeded again with them.
Given that Alonso will be 44 at the start of Aston Martin-Honda’s first year, it may seem premature to speculate that he will team up with Honda again, but given that the two-time world champion has already indicated that he doesn’t feel his retirement is near yet, and that he Even after his retirement he is ready to work with the British national team in some capacity, but the question came up at Wednesday’s press conference in Japan.
It’s official: Honda will be Aston Martin’s new F1 engine partner from 2026
Aston Martin and Honda have announced that they will jointly initiate new F1 engine rules in 2026. At the same time, the green team is parting ways with Mercedes, which currently backs it.
During his time with McLaren between 2015 and 2017, Alonso often harshly and publicly criticized Honda’s weak and unreliable engine maker. At the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, Honda named its engine the “GP2 engine” during the race. The brand later turned away from more collaboration when Alonso was looking for a team for his next attempt at the Indy 500, and McLaren was finally powered by a Chevrolet engine in the Spaniard’s last appearance at Indianapolis.
At the same time, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) Managing Director Koji Watanabe stated that they would have no objection to working with Alonso again.
“Our development in Formula 1 has accelerated in recent years with Alonso, and this has allowed us to win championships. The choice of driver is a team decision, so if the team decides that Alonso will be our driver again, we will not object to that.
– said in connection with the prospect of retaining the Japanese Alonso.
He also explained that after 11 years of hanging “GP2 rider”, they will no longer care about the past. “The past is the past. Alonso is a very talented driver and we have the utmost respect for him as a driver. For 2026 we can’t say anything about the riders yet, but we are working on the engine design and making sure it matches the chassis perfectly.”
On the McLaren years, he added:
“It was a very difficult period. We did everything we could as an engine manufacturer and because of that we became winners. Alonso is a genius as a driver and we have a lot of respect for him.”
“We will respect the driver’s choice, but I’m not saying we won’t play a role in it with the team management. On the one hand, the team will decide on the competitors, while of course we make suggestions or give opinions.”
Fernando Alonso (Photo: Aston Martin)Meanwhile, Aston Martin managing director Martin Whitmarsh confirmed that Alonso was not involved in their talks with Honda, but had been told of the plans. “Fernando is doing a great job and I’m delighted to have him as part of our team because he brings a lot to work on and off the field.”
“I spoke to Fernando about the direction we want to go. He’s a very smart guy. Now everyone points to a remark made in the heat of battle that’s obviously memorable. At the same time, he sees and respects everything Honda does. Honda won a championship The world in 2021 and 2022 and unless we can beat them this year, they will win again.”
“So they will be great partners for us and I think Fernando sees that. And maybe 2026 is on the horizon in his plans now.”
“We have to provide him with a car that he can consistently win races with. We’ve made serious progress this year, but we’re not yet where we need to be. We’ll continue to develop the team’s ability and get stronger.”
“We’ll talk about Fernando’s future before 2026. I hope he’s around for a few more years and it would be great if he could be as fit and competitive as he is now. Then it would be great if we could keep him in our car in 2026.” Whitmarsh said of the uncertainty about the distant future.
