Aston Martin look ‘increasingly likely’ to ditch Mercedes and utilize Honda engines from 2026 – Report

Honda officially quit Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season. The Japanese manufacturer is the fifth most successful engine supplier of all time. Right now, of course, they’re still somewhat involved in the sport until 2026. That is because the RBPT engine is technically manufactured by them, it’s just badged as ‘Red Bull Powertrains’. At least, it was last year, now, it’s called ‘Honda-RBPT’.

The major reason for their exit from F1 was so they could focus on carbon-neutral technologies. Formula 1, too, is doing this and aims to hit ‘Net Zero’ by 2030. The 2026 regulations will play an important role in this. And Honda have registered as an engine manufacturer for 2026 – their interest in the sport seems to be coming back. But they won’t partner with Red Bull. From 2026, RBPT, along with help from Ford, will take full responsibility for the power unit manufacturing.

But there are some other options for Honda. Since their disastrous stint as McLaren’s engine supplier, they have done quite a turnaround. Particularly, there have been reports that Aston Martin were planning to partner with them from 2026, ditching Mercedes. Now, The Race report that this AM-Honda engine partnership is looking ‘increasingly likely’.

Read More: Aston Martin plans to ditch Mercedes for Honda: Reports

Not just Aston Martin, other Mercedes customers have also been linked with Honda

Previously, there were also reports that Honda and McLaren were discussing a possible reunion. The current Mercedes engine is a bit of a disappointment, and all three of their customers have been linked with a Honda partnership. There’s Williams, too, of course, who won two world championships using Honda engines in the mid-80s. And then there’s the possible second reunion of the iconic McLaren-Honda partnership.

However, according to the report, the Aston Martin deal is the most likely one. The Silverstone team have taken a great step over the year, and perhaps if right now they had a different engine, they’d be doing even better. But that is not the case. Instead, they’ll have to wait till 2026 for a potentially more competitive engine. The regulations will reset then too, which means it will truly be a new start.

Right now, Aston Martin’s focus will be on their goals for 2023. All in all, they seem to have the second-best car. Fernando Alonso has scored 4 podium finishes in 5 races. This is extremely impressive considering they were only P7 last season. This progress makes them an extremely attractive candidate for an engine partnership. Even without it, they may soon catch Red Bull – currently the top dogs in F1.

In case you missed it:

• Aston Martin’s Mike Krack wants to keep his ‘feet on the ground’ despite Fernando Alonso’s wild success with 4 podium wins
• “Didn’t believe in my performance,” Fernando Alonso throws shade at former team Alpine, claims he is better off at Aston Martin

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