Honda explains what led to the brand selecting Aston Martin for power unit partnership in 2026

HRC president Koji Watanabe has claimed that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll's passion to fight for the championship in 2026 led to their partnership.

The Japanese manufacturer will end their highly successful partnership with Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season and supply engines to the Silverstone-based team. Honda has contributed to the Austrian team's current dominance in the sport as they are influential in helping Red Bull set up their powertrains.

Aston Martin, on the other hand, is a team on the up. They finished P5 in the Constructor's Championship in 2023 and are battling their engine supplier, Mercedes, for P4 after four races in 2024.

Speaking with Motorsport, Honda's chairman spoke about their decision to partner up with the iconic British brand for the new engine regulations in 2026. He said:

"Honda was very impressed by Mr. Stroll's passion and strong leadership to fight for the world championship in 2026. They are investing a lot of money in the new factory in Silverstone. That factory was of course still under construction, but we visited there several times.

"We also had several meetings with Mr. Martin Whitmarsh and Mike Krack, so with the management team. They are very open and the whole team works in the same direction. The team is a unit and that is very important to us."

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Fernando Alonso provides his take on Honda supplying engines for Aston Martin from 2026

Fernando Alonso stated that one of his major reasons for signing a contract extension with Aston Martin was their upcoming partnership with Honda.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the two-time world champion pointed out that he was eager to give his time with Honda a second chance. He said:

"Honda is definitely a manufacturer that has so much success in F1, and not [only] F1 [but] in the world of motorsport, that it’s always a company that I respected.

"It didn’t work for us in McLaren, in the years that they came [back] to the sport, but right after that, they fixed all the problems. I see a win-win situation."

The Aston Martin driver also expressed his respect for the Japanese culture and added that it was "a true pleasure" to able to work with Honda once again. Alonso previously worked with the Japanese company during his stint with McLaren.