Honda tease F1 expansion interest despite Aston Martin deal

Honda has not ruled out the possibility of expanding its F1 power unit supply to other teams going forward.

The Japanese manufacturer will return to the sport next year following its official exit at the end of the 2021 campaign.

Honda has kept close technical ties with Red Bull despite its departure from the grid but opted to make a comeback in light of the new power unit regulations that will come into play in 2026.

Honda is one of five manufacturers that will enter the sport's new engine era and will exclusively power Aston Martin, who has used Mercedes engines since 2009 through its various guises.

However, Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe suggested it could look to branch out going forward.

“We are a racing company, so if there is an opportunity to supply the power unit to more teams, we will pursue that,” Watanabe said. “We do not rule anything out.

“For now, however, our main focus is to establish a good working relationship with our factory partner Aston Martin.

“At the moment, we have no plans to expand and supply to more teams and we are not at that point yet.”

Honda focused on Aston Martin success

The engine regulation change arrives in tangent with new chassis rules as Aston Martin aim to start the new era on a strong foot.

The Silverstone-based squad has Adrian Newey in its arsenal to help design its new car as it looks to take a step up the F1 pecking order.

However, with a major change coming to the engines for the first time since 2014, they have been pinpointed by many experts as a critical component in shaping the competitive situation of next year's grid.

“For now, my only request to [Tetsushi] Kakuda [Honda F1 project leader] is to ensure that we can win with Aston Martin,” Watanabe added.

“We are still supplying power units to several teams at the moment, but once things settle down and it becomes feasible, we will have to consider expansion.

“That said, it is not an active consideration for us at the moment. Kakuda himself has asked us to let him focus on the current project.”