Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali has reacted to Aston Martin’s huge announcement, with the second-placed team having confirmed that from 2026 they will be powered by Japanese manufacturer Honda.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning prior to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, with Aston Martin set to become a Honda works team when the new power unit regulations are introduced in 2026.
The timing of the deal works perfectly for both parties, with Aston Martin’s deal with Mercedes expiring at the end of 2025, as is Honda’s deal with Red Bull.
The British outfit will be excited by the fact that Red Bull currently have the strongest engine on the grid, with Honda having been heavily involved in the creation of it.
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As a result, many are already expecting Aston Martin to compete with the Austrians when the new regs are introduced, with the likelihood being that the side’s time in the midfield is now a thing of the past.
Crucially, the announcement also means there will be six power unit suppliers on the grid in 2026, with Honda having been searching for a team to partner following Red Bull’s new technical partnership with Ford.
The partnership will see Aston Martin’s time with Mercedes come to an end after 17 years, with the German manufacturer having supplied the Silverstone-based outfit with power units since they were known as Force India in 2009.
One person in particular who is excited by the new partnership is Domenicali, with the Italian noting that the huge amount of interest in F1 by various manufacturers is a sign that moving to sustainable fuels in 2026 is “the right approach”.
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“It is great news for Formula 1 that Honda will partner with Aston Martin to supply power units from 2026,” Domenicali said, as reported by Givemesport.com.
“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.”