Mercedes will continue to power Aston Martin, even if the F1 team switches to Honda

The team based in Silverstone has confirmed that as of 2026, Honda will supply engines to the British racing team. The Japanese manufacturer is making an official comeback in the sport, with the team becoming Aston Martin Aramco Honda.

Although officially withdrawing from F1 at the end of 2021, Honda maintains a technical agreement with Red Bull. The Austrian team achieved a double championship last season. However, the Milton Keynes team is preparing for its own engine project alongside Ford starting in 2026.

Over the past few years, Racing Point and now Aston Martin have maintained a close relationship with Mercedes, which has been more than just an engine supplier, as they have also provided the gearbox, hydraulic system, and some rear suspension parts, according to Aston Martin’s needs.

A close relationship that was noticed and penalized. Indeed, Lawrence Stroll’s team has clearly copied and used brake ducts from the 2019 Mercedes during three Grand Prix races. They have been fined a total of 400,000 euros, received two reprimands, and incurred a loss of 15 points in the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship.

The switch to a Honda engine means that Aston Martin will either have to take the lead and act on its own regarding the design of all additional components, or Honda will have to get more involved and provide additional design personnel to assist them in these areas.

Honda is probably the final step necessary to transform Lawrence Stroll’s construction site into a true team capable of winning the World Championship.

The partnership with Honda, the manufacturer that powers the current best Formula 1 car, is a clever way to add even more value to Stroll’s growing franchise, as everyone approaches the engine reset in 2026.

It remains to be seen how the situation will evolve, given that Daimler and Toto Wolff, both co-owners of the Mercedes F1 team, hold small stakes in the Aston Martin Lagonda automotive group (approximately 9.7%).

The association of Aston Martin with Honda is in line with the team owner Lawrence Stroll’s plans since he bought Force India for £90 million in 2018.

At the engine level, Mercedes will provide an engine to only 3 teams in F1 from 2026: McLaren, Mercedes AMG F1, and Williams.

Aston Martin road cars still remain powered by Mercedes-AMG

The change of engine supplier to Honda represents a potential conflict of interest for the Aston Martin group beyond racing, as Mercedes-Benz and AMG provide technologies for the English manufacturer’s road cars.

Although he admits that the new partnership with Honda will not affect Aston Martin’s road car division, Whitmarsh explained: “Aston Martin is a public company, one of its shareholders is Mercedes-Benz, and a significant portion of its road car engines come from Mercedes-Benz. We will focus exclusively on winning in F1 with Honda, and Aston Martin Lagonda will continue to develop its own strategy.”