Honda will have a say in choosing Aston Martin drivers

Honda had a great party at its home track last weekend. For its last home performance as an engine supplier for Red Bull and Racing Bulls, the Japanese firm was at the heart of the celebrations: livery and special combinations for the Austrian team, presence of the high command of the Tokyo manufacturer and above all, the impressive success of Max Verstappen in Suzuka.

A fitting way to honor what was one of the most glorious partnerships of our century: since 2019, Red Bull and Honda have won 64 races, four Drivers' titles and two Constructors' titles (NB: even though Honda withdrew for the 2022 season only, Red Bull continued to use the Japanese engine's intellectual property). “Looking back, we are very proud of the results we have achieved through this partnership, said Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) during an interview with the Japan Times, present at Suzuka on the sidelines of the Japanese Grand Prix. Especially since Yuki [tsunoda] is here, at home, and he's racing for Red Bull. It's a very important and very symbolic weekend."

Ten years after his nightmarish return to Formula 1 with McLarenHonda has excelled with Red Bull over the past seven years of collaboration, becoming one of the best engine manufacturers on the grid today. Ten years of massive investment in the 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid engine, an adventure that will come to an end at the end of the 2025 season. Starting next year, new power units – still based on the 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid engine – will be installed in the 2026 single-seaters. And unlike ten years ago, Honda is much better prepared to make the transition. "We had interrupted the project with Formula 1, so we were not prepared in 2015, recalls Koji WatanabeWe started from scratch. Today, we are no longer starting from scratch, so it is a more harmonious development.

Fewer seats but just as much power for Honda

Above all, beyond the new engine, Honda will begin a new and exclusive partnership with a new manufacturer in 2026: Aston MartinA colorful association on which expectations will be very high. Cornerstone of the project built by Lawrence Stroll, Honda will be able to collaborate with an engineer it knows well, Adrian Newey, a transfer from Red Bull. "It's an honor to be working with Newey again at Aston Martin. We will work together to create a competitive F1 car."

However, compared to Red Bull, Aston Martin has a major disadvantage: the number of seats available. Indeed, with the Austrian team, Honda could have four seats to place one of its in-house drivers. This is what happened with Yuki Tsunoda in recent years. With the British team, however, the Japanese engine manufacturer will have much less freedom with only two seats, one of which seems to be dedicated to Lance Stroll for an indefinite period. However, Koji Watanabe assures that Honda will still have a decision-making role regarding Aston Martin drivers starting next year.

« The number of seats will be reduced. However, as far as we are concerned, we will continue to express our opinions as Honda in the choice of drivers, for 2026 and beyond, says HRC President. Obviously, it's the team that will have the final say on which drivers join it... but the situation will be the same [as with Red Bull], we will have our say." Would Honda, based on these statements, be tempted to bring a Yuki Tsunoda or even better, a Max Verstappen along with them to move to Silverstone? As a reminder, the contract of Fernando Alonso is supposed to end at the end of next season...

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