Honda approaches Aston Martin with tail between legs: "it's Honda's own fault"

On The Race podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm has indicated that it is almost certain that Aston Martin and Honda will enter into a partnership, starting from 2026. His colleague Valentin Khorounzhiy sees it as a logical move for both parties to join forces but notes that it would still be a step back for Honda compared to supplying engines to Red Bull Racing, as they have done since 2019.

Mitchell-Malm is confident that Aston Martin is in pole position among Honda's top executives. "I think it's extremely likely," Mitchell-Malm says regarding the chances of Aston Martin and Honda collaborating on the introduction of the new engine regulations. "I am 100% certain that if Honda commits to Formula 1 again from 2026 onwards, it will be with Aston Martin, and I am 90 to 95% certain that they will do so. There is still some conflicting information about whether they have already sealed the deal or not, but it's definitely looking like an extremely likely thing to happen. I would be very surprised if we don't have Honda back on the grid in 2026, and I would be very surprised if it's not with Aston Martin."

Logical for Aston Martin and Honda to join forces

If Honda is indeed still present as an engine supplier, there would be at least six engine suppliers in Formula 1 in 2026. Alongside Honda, Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Audi and Red Bull Technologies have already indicated that they will be providing engines to at least one team. Khorounzhiy sees the collaboration between Aston Martin and Honda as favorable: "It sounds very logical. The Honda engine will be completely different in 2026, but for now, it's a great engine. They have recently been successful. If the years with McLaren gave people the impression that they didn't know what they were doing, the years with Red Bull Racing have proven the opposite. It would be very good news for Aston Martin. It doesn't surprise me that McLaren and Williams were also interested in collaborating with Honda. What surprises me is that they didn't explore that route further. Aston Martin is now the best team on the grid looking for an engine supplier," he says about the current second-placed team in the constructors' championship.

"It is a bit strange that one car manufacturer is collaborating with another car manufacturer," Khorounzhiy points out regarding Aston Martin and Honda. "You would think that, as a car manufacturer, you should also develop the engines, but they will work things out from a marketing perspective. Aston Martin is already working with another car manufacturer in the form of Mercedes, and appeared as a sponsor on the Red Bull cars - while having a Honda engine under the hood. But just as Aston Martin is the best option for Honda, Honda is also the best choice for Aston Martin if they want to work with a manufacturer exclusively."

Honda now has to work hard to take a step back

Honda announced in October 2020 that it would eventually withdraw from Formula 1. Since then, Red Bull has proven to be the strongest team. "Honda is entirely to blame for losing Red Bull," says Khorounzhiy. "They threw away a partnership with the dominant team of this generation of cars. They could have had an era of success with Red Bull, but they completely wasted it by thinking only in the short term and panicking. They now have to pick up the pieces and find a less strong partner," Khorounzhiy comments on the mistake made by the Japanese manufacturer. Another player in this story is Fernando Alonso, who frequently criticized Honda during his time at McLaren. If the now 42-year-old Spaniard wants to continue in the sport even in 2026, a potential collaboration with Honda could pose a problem for him, according to Mitchell-Malm.