Why did Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin ditch Mercedes for Honda?
An Aston Martin executive has elaborated on why they severed ties with Mercedes amidst news of their new contract with Honda.
The latest news that has the Formula 1 world all shaken up is that Aston Martin is going to part ways with long-term ally Mercedes, and enter into a new partnership with Honda in the 2026 F1 Championship season. The last time the Japanese engine supplier was seen around Formula One was at the end of 2021, when Honda decided to quit the pinnacle of motorsports as the contract with Red Bull had come to an end. Honda remained as Red Bull’s supplier from 2019 through ’21, and they are still reportedly in touch with Max Verstappen‘s team for advice regarding the Red Bull Powertrains program.
But Honda will make a comeback to F1 holding hands with Aston Martin in 2026. This has raised a few questions since fans always believed AMR’s allegiance to Mercedes was unquestionable. Some have even thought that the biggest possible reason behind Aston Martin switching from Mercedes to Honda is that they are not impressed with the results from their current engines supplies by the Stuttgart outfit.
As the situation stands right now, Aston Martin is ahead of Mercedes in the rankings, and this maybe why the Silverstone squad wants some enginee supplier who will be better than the German manufacturers. Clarifying the team’s stance on this issue, Aston Martin Performance Technologies CEO Martin Whitmarsh said, “We are building a team to win in Formula 1. We know that we need strong partnerships and have been previously delighted to be joined by Cognizant and Aramco in this mission. But it is a great opportunity to partner with a global motorsport titan like Honda.“
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No hard feelings towards Mercedes, claims Aston Martin amid talks with Honda for engine supply
Aston Martin’s newest partnership with Honda has received the limelight because fans believe the bottle-green squad can do wonders with the perfect engine. But this does not imply that Aston Martin were unsatisfied with the Mercedes products, and thus called in Honda for a deal. Speaking on this, Martin Whitmarsh, said, “We have got to be clear, Mercedes has been a great partner for the team and they remain that. They are in it to win and clearly we want to win as well, so ultimately there is some incompatibility in those two missions and that is why we have taken the decision.”
In other news, Mercedes are currently struggling with their pace, and Lewis Hamilton has not won a Grand Prix since 2021. These situations have led to fans believing that the Briton might need to shift teams to be able to contest for his eighth F1 title again. And at such a time, a 50M $ contract from Ferrari might be waiting for Lewis, according to the reports. Now, it remains to be seen whether Lewis Hamilton laps up this chance to drive for the oldest and most successful F1 team in history, or if he sticks to Mercedes, a team he has been with since 2012.
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Riddhi Mondal
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