As expected, Aston Martin and Honda announced on Wednesday in Tokyo that they will unite from the onset of Formula 1's new engine regulations in 2026.
Aston Martin F1, racing in the past under its Force Indi and Racing Point guises, has been faithful to Mercedes since 2009, but the Silverstone-based outfit will become Honda's works representative from 2026.
Honda - whose current partner, Red Bull, will rely on its own power unit developed in-house by Red Bull Powertrains with input from brand partner Ford - had been considering an alternative works deal for 2026.
Evidently, the sport's move towards more electrification from 2026 as part of its revised power unit regulations as well as Aston Martin's impressive development and promising future proved enticing for the Japanese company.
"Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races," said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe
"With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology.
"Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda."
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Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, said: "One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.
"We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development."
Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, added: "Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula 1."
Honda has won two world championship titles in F1 with Red Bull Racing, in 2021 and 2022, and all signs point to it achieving a third consecutive title with its current partner at the end of this season.
But the Japanese manufacturer is projecting an equally successful long-term partnership with Aston Martin F1.
"They are currently working on various measures to strengthen the team and strive to win the F1 championship title," Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe.
"So, as they have given the high marks to our F1 power unit technology and we can relate to their sincere attitude and also strong passion to win, we decided to work together and strive for the championship title as Aston Martin Honda."
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