Why Honda F1 engine deal “transforms Aston Martin’s status in the sport”

On Wednesday morning, Aston Martin and Honda announced their collaboration for F1’s new engine regulations.

It means F1 will have six manufacturers on the grid for 2026 - Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Audi, Renault (Alpine) and Honda.

Being linked with a manufacturer gives you a crucial advantage in terms of engine integration and technical support.

• Aston Martin to ditch Mercedes and join forces with Honda from F1 2026

A big factor in Red Bull’s domination in recent seasons has been their association with Honda after dropping Renault at the end of 2018.

“I think it is really big,” Slater said. “I think it transforms Aston Martin’s status within the sport. It changes the F1 landscape. They become a works team - they have the backing of an engine manufacturer, in this case, Honda. 

“They can look Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes in the eye and class themselves as equals in that regard. Honda are going to supply their engines, they’re going to supply only Aston Martin from 2026 onwards so that means when they’re designing the car at Aston Martin they know the shape of the power unit, they can work with the engine supplier throughout the process to make sure everything works together neatly.”

Slater believes with Honda working alongside Aston Martin, they are arguably the best placed team to topple Red Bull in F1.

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“When was the last time a customer team really won the championship? You can talk about Red Bull doing it with Renault but they were really the works team. This is a big moment for Aston Martin,” he added. “This team went into liquidation in 2018 - the team based at Silverstone. 

“What a job Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian billionaire has done. It’s now worth in excess of £1 billion and now they have the backing of Honda as well. If you were to ask me which team is likely to succeed Red Bull as champions now you’d have to throw Aston Martin into the mix - it’s that important this.”