Honda confirms Formula One return with engines for Aston Martin

Japanese car giant Honda has confirmed it will formally return to Formula One as an engine supplier in 2026, when the next generation of hybrid V6 engines is introduced.

But instead of the championship-winning Red Bull team it powered from 2019 – plus its Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri sister team – Honda has signed a deal to power the Aston Martin outfit.

The Japanese car giant formally withdrew from F1 at the end of the 2021 season, but continues to assist Red Bull in building and maintaining Honda's engines under a new Red Bull Powertrains banner.

This deal is due to expire at the end of 2025 – after which Red Bull is due to partner with US car giant Ford on the development of the engines and hybrid technology.

Aston Martin Formula One cars are today powered by Mercedes-AMG engines, in a deal in place since 2009 when the team was under different ownership and known as Force India.

Honda's return will coincide with the introduction of new Formula One hybrid engine regulations, which will retain 1.6-litre turbocharged V6s, but are planned to triple the power the hybrid system adds.

About half of the power produced by Formula One cars will now come from the hybrid system, for a total of about 1000 horsepower (745kW) – and the petrol engines will run on 100 per cent 'sustainable' synthetic fuels.

Honda says it was enticed back to the top tier of motorsport by the new engine regulations, which it says "are consistent with the direction Honda has been taking toward the realization of carbon neutrality".

The Japanese car giant's return to Formula One in 2026 will mark its second F1 comeback in about a decade.

It joined F1 after a six-year absence in 2015 supplying engines for McLaren, but three years of disappointing performances and unreliability saw the two entities split at the end of 2017.

From 2018 Honda began supplying engines to Red Bull's second-tier F1 team Toro Rosso (later renamed to AlphaTauri), before powering the main Red Bull Racing team from 2019.

While Honda formally withdrew from Formula One at the end of 2021, it will until the end of 2025 assist Red Bull in building and maintaining what were Honda's engines, under a new Red Bull Powertrains division formed by the energy drinks-branded team.

The engines in Red Bull F1 cars from 2026 are expected to wear 'Red Bull Powertrains-Ford' branding – while Honda has confirmed the Aston Martin team will be formally renamed Aston Martin Aramco Honda to reflect its involvement.

"Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power unit regulations which will take effect in the 2026 season," Honda said in a media statement today.

"In pursuit of its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, starting from the 2026 season, F1 will implement new regulations with an engine/electric motor maximum power output ratio of 50/50.

"This will represent a significant increase in the deployment of electrical power ... the 2026 regulations require a reduction of engine output while tripling the output of the energy recovery system (ERS) ... this will result in maximum power output that is roughly even between the engine and motor.

"These changes in F1 power unit regulations are consistent with the direction Honda has been taking toward the realization of carbon neutrality. Working to these regulations will have profound significance in terms of providing Honda important opportunities to pursue the development of future technologies toward that direction.

"Based on this belief, Honda made the decision to take on a new challenge in F1 racing."

Toshihiro Mibe, Honda CEO said in a further statement: "Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda."