Domenicali hails Aston Martin-Honda partnership

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hailed Aston Martin's "exciting" tie-up with Honda as evidence of the sport's attractiveness to major auto manufacturers.

It was announced early on Wednesday that Honda would return to F1 as an official power unit supplier to Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based team becoming the Japanese firm's works team.

"It is great news for Formula 1 that Honda will partner with Aston Martin to supply power units from 2026," said Domenicali.

"This is further evidence that our global platform and growth provides brands with huge potential, and it also shows that our plans to move to sustainable fuels in 2026 is the right approach to offer the automotive world alternative solutions to decarbonise the planet.

"We can all see the incredible commitment Aston Martin has made to our sport and we can't wait to see the exciting partnership in action, and I want to congratulate both parties on this exciting news."

The announcement means that F1 is likely to have at least six major manufacturers on the grid in 2026, with the existing trio of Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault to be joined by Audi, who are set to buy out the Sauber operation, and Ford, who are entering into a partnership with Red Bull.

There is also a possibility that General Motors will be present in F1 by then, as the American firm's Cadillac brand has aligned itself with a mooted entry from the Andretti organisation.