Honda will not be an impediment if Fernando Alonso wants to continue competing in F1 with Aston Martin from 2026.
When it began to be rumored that Honda could become the driver of the Aston Martin team in the new era of engines, starting in 2026, it was also said that this could close the doors to an eventual continuity of Fernando Alonso in the British team, after the controversies between the Spaniard and the Japanese manufacturer in the past.
There were not a few times that Alonso criticized the Japanese unit, when this was the one that powered the McLarens that the two-time champion drove between 2015 and 2017. Let us remember that the engine failed often and that the factory in Japan did not come to an understanding with the McLaren then captained by Ron Dennis.
That time when Alonso said that he had a GP2 Engine (GP2 engine) was very famous in the middle of the 2015 Japanese GP. These possible quarrels, however, will not prevent Alonso from carrying a Honda engine behind him again in case that the Spaniard has the opportunity and the desire to continue racing for Aston Martin in 2026.
The pilot himself has already said that racing in F1 with the entry of the new regulations is “a temptation”, since he will be able to face teams of the likes of Audi, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford… and, furthermore, Aston Martin F1 is taking the appropriate steps (the new factory, the signing of technicians, Honda…) to have one of the best cars.
Having an official engine, not a client, as the Mercedes unit is currently, is also one of those steps to have a differentiating element. And for anyone who doubts Honda because of his past at McLaren, we must remind him that it is the engine with which Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been champions for the last two years.
“The past is the past,” said Toshiro Mibe, CEO of Honda Motor at the event to launch the agreement between Honda and Aston Martin. “(The choice of drivers) we leave it to the team,” he said.
This position was reaffirmed by Koji Watanabe, CEO of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), who assured that: “The drivers are decided by the team, so if they decide that Alonso should be one of the drivers again, we will not be able to oppose him.” whatever. He’s a genius and we deeply respect him.”
Likewise, Watanabe said that Alonso’s work between 2015 and 2017 as a McLaren driver served Honda “to accelerate its development in F1.”
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Although it may seem early for teams, riders and motorcyclists to already be thinking about 2026, now is the time to prepare the step towards a new, more sustainable and attractive regulation for manufacturers, with hybrid engines with the same electrical power as that coming from combustion, renewable fuels…
And perhaps not even Alonso wants to miss it! In 2026, the Asturian will be 45 years old. There are almost three seasons to go before that moment arrives, but if Fernando maintains his current high level and continues to win over younger drivers, there is no reason to think that his ‘last dance’ in F1 will not be with Honda.
