Honda have confirmed that they have been contacted by "multiple teams" regarding a power unit supply from the 2026 season. The Japanese manufacturer is currently the only power unit supplier to have signed up to the 2026 power unit regulations without being linked to a team. The team they currently supply, Red Bull, will be partnering with Ford to create Red Bull-Ford Powertrains for 2026 onward. Their interest in the next power unit technical regulation cycle marked a tentative step back into Formula 1, having previously expressed their intention to leave the sport altogether. When asked, Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe confirmed that the technical regulation changes had moved closer to their aims as a car manufacturer. "Formula 1 is greatly shifting towards electrification. So, given that carbon neutrality is our corporate-wide target at Honda, so we think that Formula 1's future direction is in line with our target, so that is why that we have decided to register as a power unit manufacturer," commented Watanabe to media, including RacingNews365.com . "We're curious about where Formula 1 is going, Formula 1 being the top recent category, and how that is going to look with more electrification happening. We would like to keep a very close eye on that."
Watanabe: No concrete decisions on F1 2026
Honda's stock has risen significantly in the last two years, with the manufacturer powering the Max Verstappen and Red Bull combination to 3 championship titles in two years. However, the decision by Red Bull (and AlphaTauri) to partner with Ford for 2026 would leave Honda with a team to find for 2026. Watanabe added that since Honda's renewed interest in power unit supply was confirmed, the manufacturer has already held very early talks F1 teams, despite making 'no concrete decisions' on an F1 return yet. "After we made the registration, we have been contacted by multiple Formula 1 teams," confirmed Watanabe. "For the time being, we would like to keep a close eye on where Formula 1 is going and just see how things go. "But for now, we don't have any concrete decisions on whether or not we will be going back to joining Formula 1."
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