Honda confirms its return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin starting from 2026
After recently announcing its departure, Honda is returning as an engine supplier. This will happen starting from the engine regulation change in 2026, alongside Aston Martin.
Honda Racing Competition (HRC) has confirmed its return to F1 as an engine supplier starting in 2026 and will partner with Aston Martin. The team based in Silverstone will be known as Aston Martin Aramco Honda as they strive to achieve their goal of competing for F1 titles.
Honda withdrew from competition at the end of 2021, after Max Verstappen’s championship win, in order to focus on their own environmental goals. However, the Japanese manufacturer remained involved in Formula 1 through a technical partnership with Red Bull, continuing to manufacture and assemble power units for the Austrian team. Red Bull is also preparing to produce its own engines from 2026 with the support of Ford.
Toshihiro Mibe, CEO of Honda, is excited about the prospect of returning to F1: One of the main reasons we decided to take up the new challenge of F1 is that the pinnacle of motorsport is striving to improve sustainable development, which aligns with Honda’s carbon neutrality goal.
« Honda is a company that has always grown by facing challenges and winning world-class races. With the new regulations in 2026, the key to victory will be a compact, lightweight, and powerful electric engine with a high-performance battery capable of handling high power, as well as energy management technology. We believe that the technologies and expertise acquired in this new challenge can be directly applied to our future electric vehicles. »
Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win. Therefore, starting from the 2026 season, we will work together and aim for the championship title under the name Aston Martin Aramco Honda.
The ambition to win
Lawrence Stroll, owner of Aston Martin, has overseen the rapid rise of the team since the Racing Point era, with an aggressive recruitment strategy combined with the construction of a state-of-the-art headquarters and significant investment.
The stable manager explained in a statement after the partnership for 2026 was officialized: “I would like to welcome Honda Racing Corporation to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant team. We share the same will, determination, and ambition to succeed on the track. Honda is a global titan, and their success in motorsports is well known. I want to thank Mr. Mibe and Mr. Watanabe, as well as the entire HRC team, as we embark together on an exciting future starting in 2026.”
The last time Aston Martin and Honda were associated was on the bodywork of a Red Bull between 2019 and 2020. Because yes, at that time, the Austrian team was called Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
