Why 'incompatible' Mercedes was ditched for Honda by Aston Martin 

Aston Martin CEO Martin Whitmarsh recently explained that the team left Mercedes and chose Honda as their power unit partner because the Silverstone-based team and the Silver Arrows are competitors on the F1 grid.

Aston Martin has maintained a relationship with Mercedes for over a decade. Even during the days of Force India and Racing Point, the car was powered by Mercedes. However, Aston Martin recently announced that Honda will replace Mercedes as their engine supplier from the 2026 season.

Stressing on the 'incompatibility' between Mercedes and Aston Martin, Martin Whitmarsh, formerly the figurehead at McLaren, said collaborating with a competitor does not make much sense for the team. He told the media:

"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."

Whitmarsh added:

"The first and most obvious example was we currently share a wind tunnel with them, yet we are having to spend a huge amount of money to build our own wind tunnel which is only four or five miles from the quite adequate one we use. But the nature of F1 is if you want to win, it means beating Mercedes and it is extremely difficult to beat an organization as good as Mercedes if you are reliant on them for intellectual property, facilities and components."

Aston Martin is here to win: Martin Whitmarsh

Further accentuating the point he was making, Martin Whitmarsh said Aston Martin is in F1 to win and dominate the sport. For their ambitions, a works deal with Honda makes more sense. He said:

"Team Silverstone has got a great tradition for delivering great bang for a small buck but we are in a different position now. The Aston Martin brand, the ambition of Lawrence Stroll and now with great partners like Honda, we are here to win."

He added:

"Therefore, you have got to have the complete integration of facilities, process and approach... the 2026 regulations will demand a very substantial integration - not just the physical integration of components, but the operational integration - to be able to deliver and win. So in my view, it would be very, very difficult to win, consistently, championships without a full works relationship which is why we have made this decision and why we are delighted to have a fantastic partner like Honda."

The dynamics between Mercedes and Aston Martin will be worth keeping an eye on in the future because these two teams have maintained a more than cordial relationship until now.