ASTON MARTIN and Honda officially marked the beginning of their works Formula One partnership with a special pre-season event held in Tokyo on Tuesday, signalling a major step towards the 2026 season.
Aston Martin Aramco executive chairman Lawrence Stroll was joined on stage by Honda president and representative executive officer Toshihiro Mibe, with Formula One president and CEO Stefano Domenicali also in attendance for the presentation.
The Silverstone-based team, which has run Mercedes power units since returning to F1 in 2021, will switch to Honda engines from 2026 as part of the new technical regulations. The transition is being overseen by Aston Martin’s former team principal and now chief strategy officer Andy Cowell, who brings extensive experience from his successful tenure at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains. Legendary designer Adrian Newey has also taken on team responsibilities as the project gathers momentum.
Stroll said, “I am delighted to celebrate the start of our partnership with Honda here in Tokyo today. Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team and Honda share many values, and those values have brought us together for 2026 and beyond. The strong collaboration between the AMR Technology Centre at Silverstone and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in Sakura demonstrates the depth of our partnership. We are confident that we have all the elements required to fight for victory in the future and we have tremendous faith in Honda’s power unit and the engineers behind it. Our journey won’t always be easy and challenges inevitably lie ahead, but winning is what drives both companies forward and together we look forward to many successful years of partnership.”
Mibe shared, “Honda’s participation in F1, the pinnacle of automobile racing, has been the embodiment of the spirit of the company founder, Soichiro Honda, who inspired Honda engineers to commit to becoming No.1 in the world and to take on the most difficult challenges. In 2026, F1 will undergo a major change in regulations for both the chassis and power unit. Honda sees F1 as a symbol of challenge and innovation, and HRC, the global racing arm of Honda, has developed the RA626H, the new power unit for the 2026 season, to meet those challenges. Striving to become number one in the world, Honda will continue to take on challenges together with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team.” During the event, Mibe also unveiled Honda’s refreshed ‘H’ mark, a new symbol representing the transformation of the company’s automobile business.
Domenicali expressed, “This is an exciting moment for the sport of F1, as Honda and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team join together to fight for the biggest prize of F1. The sport is growing in Japan where there are now nearly 17 million passionate and incredible F1 fans. The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka last year welcomed 266,000 weekend attendees, and saw a +26% year-over-year increase in TV viewership in Japan. The return of Honda to F1 this year will further boost the potential for the sport here in the Japanese market.”
