Honda REJECTED multiple F1 teams for the Aston Martin deal

Several teams approached Honda, but Aston Martin’s offer was the most compelling.

Honda REJECTED multiple F1 teams for the Aston Martin deal

Honda, the Japanese automaker, will supply engines to Aston Martin from the 2026 season after introducing the new engine regulations. This decision came about after Honda parted ways with Red Bull after the 2021 season

Honda expressed their interest in being an engine supplier for the 2026 season in November last year. According to Honda CEO and president Toshiro Mibe, several teams approached them after their engine plans were revealed, but Aston Martin seemed like the best opportunity to them.

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“We were approached by so many teams,” Mibe said. “There were many discussions, debating as to whether we really wanted to participate in the 2026 race, and there were great and wonderful offers from various teams.”

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“But it was in particular Aston Martin’s passionate offer, and their determination to win whatever it costs, we were very moved. We thought that their vision and passion were very similar to ours.” Mibe further states.

Related: Helmut Marko warns Aston Martin about ‘restrictive’ Honda after lessons learned at Red Bull

Factory visit key to Aston Martin and Honda alliance

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Honda Racing Corporation’s president Koji Watanabe says a visit to Aston Martin’s £200 million Silverstone base at the start of this year sealed the 2026 works relationship deal. They were impressed by the future-oriented investments from the team.

“Through various discussions, we thought that Aston Martin had the strongest passion for winning the championship“, says Watanabe.“I was personally honoured to visit the factory physically and see they were making investments on various things, including personnel, and steadily progressing forward”,.

Alonso’s ‘GP2 engine’ comment didn’t go unnoticed by Honda

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Fernando Alonso wasn’t silent went it came to openly insulting the then McLaren engine; some eyebrows were raised regarding Honda’s and Aston Martin’s tie-up, as his relationship with the Japanese outfit was tarnished during his second stint with the McLaren F1 team.

The Spaniard also insulted the then McLaren Honda engine calling it a ‘GP2’ engine. This also led to Honda’s rejection of collaborating with the 41-year-old during the Indianapolis 500 as a McLaren driver.

Koji Watanabe, through a translator, addressed the past challenges related to the 2-time world champion. Nonetheless, after partnering up with Red Bull and winning the driver’s championship, his standpoint towards him has changed.

CEO of Aston Martin Performance, Martin Whitmarsh, believes an incident 8 years ago in a race should be forgotten. “I think this stems from something Fernando said in the heat of the battle a few years ago, which was regrettable. He is a truly great driver. I think he’s developed not only as a driver, but in his thinking about being a team member, since that time,” Whitmarsh said.

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