Aston Martin: Honda 'final piece in F1 jigsaw'

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has insisted Honda is the "final piece in the jigsaw" as the team aims to topple F1's established leading outfits.

Honda will return to F1 in an official capacity in 2026 after announcing a full works partnership with Aston Martin for the sport's new power unit regulations, re-entering five years after stepping away to focus on its own sustainability efforts.

But the Japanese manufacturer's involvement from 2026 is a major coup for Aston Martin given Honda's role in Red Bull's recent success, securing both World Championships last season.

The move comes during a period of rapid upscaling from the Silverstone-based outfit, with an aggressive hiring process coupled with the creation of a new state-of-the-art campus which will house a number of infrastructural improvements, including Aston Martin's own wind tunnel.

Honda's involvement will also see the end of Mercedes' long-standing partnership with Aston Martin, with engines supplied to the team's previous iterations of Racing Point and Force India since 2009.

Aston Martin will now be able to create full integration between the chassis and power unit divisions as Honda's works partner whilst also dictating development paths for the gearbox and rear suspension.

Engineering excellence

Speaking to media including RacingNews365.com, Stroll said: "Aston Martin and Honda have a lot in common, including engineering excellence and a long-term commitment and passion to win.

"Honda and its engineers are racers and love to develop its products in competition. Racing in part of its DNA and always has been. Racing is also a part of Aston Martin's DNA for the last 110 years and together, we will win.

"Aston Martin is the fastest growing team in the sport and on social media, tripling our fanbase in the last two years.

"Our partnership with Honda is the final piece in the jigsaw to establish Aston Martin as a top team capable of winning world titles.

"Combined with our new campus, we are giving the team all the tools it needs to win.

"To establish Aston Martin at the very top of the sport, we need to exploit every single area of our technical package and now, a bespoke PU is the most important last step in that journey."