Honda unveils its 2026 F1 engine and a new logo

It was during an event held at home in Tokyo that Honda unveiled the new engine that the Japanese manufacturer will install in theAston Martin AMR26 of Fernando Alonso et Lance strollFor Honda, 2026 also marks an official return, since the HRC logo still appeared on the Red Bull and Racing Bulls in recent seasons, the engines were in fact "RBPT Honda", based on the Honda engine used until 2021, the intellectual property of which Red Bull had bought to create its "Red Bull Powertrains" entity.

Honda's arrival as an engine supplier will therefore make Aston Martin a factory team, as it will be the only one to benefit from the Japanese engines. The brand's boss, Lawrence Stroll, was present in Tokyo on Tuesday, as was the President of the Formula 1Stefano Domenicali. The opportunity to see up close one of the new engines of this season, with the very important presence of batteries, electrical energy now making up almost 50% of the total power delivered by the engines.

"Honda's participation in F1, the pinnacle of motor racing, embodies the spirit of the company's founder, Soichiro Honda, who inspired Honda engineers to commit to becoming the best in the world and to taking on the toughest challenges.", explained Toshihiro Mibe, president of Honda Motor Corporation. “In 2026, F1 will undergo a major change in regulations concerning the chassis and power unit. Honda sees F1 as a symbol of challenge and innovation, and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), Honda’s global motorsport division, has developed the RA626H, the new power unit for the 2026 season, to meet these challenges.”

Honda also took the opportunity to unveil its new logo, which was initially designed for the brand's electric vehicle range. It will now be used across the entire range, including in motorsport programs such as Formula 1.

Still hybrid but simplified compared to their predecessors, F1 engines, for example, abandon the MGU-H, which made the system complex to operate by recovering energy in the form of heat and converting it back into electricity. The MGU-K, which recovers kinetic energy, remains and will therefore deliver more power than ever. Formula 1 first used these hybrid technologies in 2009 with the introduction of KERS, or Kinetic Energy Recovery System.

Developed by new technical director Adrian Newey, the AMR 26, Aston Martin's first Honda-powered Formula 1 car, will be unveiled on February 8th, the same day as the McLaren MCL40A from the team of the two-time reigning world champions.

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