2023-04-22 00:45:00
Could Honda F1 make a comeback in 2026, supplying engines to the team now known as Aston Martin when F1’s new regulations are introduced? There seems to be a lot of history that holds the key. That possibility is one of the interesting stories that surfaced during F1’s April holidays. It may sound a little outlandish, but history has proven that you never know what will happen in F1. Especially when it comes to coordinating team identities and PU suppliers.
The 2026 season will see a reorganization of engine partners as Sauber moves from Ferrari to Audi’s works, while Red Bull and AlphaTauri part ways with Honda for new Ford-backed PUs. Honda’s position is still unclear. Fueled by Max Verstappen’s double title win, Honda is reconsidering its exit from F1 and has added its name to the FIA registered manufacturer list for 2026. That doesn’t mean Honda will be on board, but at least they’ll be on their feet. If you intend to participate, you will have to work on the 2026 project already and do so under the cost caps and other restrictions that apply to PU makers. Honda will also need to find a new partner team as Red Bull takes its own destiny and builds its own PU facility at Milton Keynes as a result of Honda delaying it. “F1 is making a big shift towards electrification, and carbon neutrality is a company-wide goal for Honda,” HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) president Yasuharu Watanabe said in February. “We believe that the future direction of F1 is consistent with our goals, so we have decided to register as a power unit manufacturer.” I’m interested to see how it goes further, and we want to keep a close eye on it.That’s why we decided to register as a PU manufacturer.” “Since registration, several F1 teams have contacted us. For the time being, I would like to wait and see how F1 goes.At the moment, there is no concrete decision as to whether or not to return to F1.”Current Honda partner Red Bull said It chose to partner with Ford from 2026. It’s a very vague term, but it’s clear that he’s interested in returning to Formula 1, provided he finds the right partner. Without new entrants, the three real options are current Mercedes customers McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin. It’s no surprise that all three teams are now weighing what their options are for 2026 and beyond. “We are currently in the process of understanding all the options available to this team,” Williams boss James Bowles said recently. “We are not tied to Mercedes and we are still in the review process. As with all teams we have to make decisions pretty quickly. Late at the end of the year. So a little while ago.” McLaren-Honda disaster still lingers For Honda to reunite with McLaren, it will have to overcome all the baggage of its last collaboration, which ended in a bitter split at the end of 2017. However, both sides must seek every possible means. McLaren is already discussing a possible Red Bull and Ford engine deal. So what about Aston Martin? The sports car maker has strong ties to Mercedes, and switching to Honda doesn’t seem commercially viable. That said, Stroll’s ambitions are a World Championship challenge, and the steps his team has taken this year show he must be taken seriously. The logical view is that they need to reduce or even eliminate their reliance on their main rivals as part of a long-term strategy towards a full-fledged title fight. A first step could soon be seen as the team moves into its own wind tunnel at Silverstone and moves away from sharing Mercedes’ facilities in Brackley. Furthermore, with fewer parts supplied by Mercedes, less rear suspension and transmission are used. To strengthen its partnership with Audi, Sauber has switched from using Ferrari gearboxes to building his own gearboxes, and Aston Martin could follow a similar route. In December, Aston Martin’s technical director Dan Follows stressed that there were no immediate plans to reduce its reliance on Mercedes, but said he was keeping the door open for future changes. “In some ways, I think we’re pretty open-minded,” Farrows said. “What this team has gained from their relationship with MGP is immeasurable.” I strongly feel that we have to be able to do the job or more.It’s a capability that we have to build up before we can make that kind of decision.” Everything is open, Lawrence is very open about his ambitions for this team and I think we always have to evaluate what we can do next to be more competitive. The point is that if we can manufacture our own gearboxes, it will be much easier to switch PU suppliers. In addition, the degree of freedom in terms of car design and concept will increase. A Mercedes power unit in the 2026 AMR26 could take steps like the one above, but a bespoke engine would be the ultimate step towards Stroll’s independence. If anyone can find a way to run a Honda F1 engine in an Aston Martin chassis (with or without the latter’s official badge), Stroll is definitely the one to make it happen. Possibility of birth of Stroll owned Honda F1 works team? Especially when you start thinking in terms of ‘Team Silverstone’ or ‘Stroll F1’, there is a bigger picture than overwriting these complex branding issues. What was once Racing Point is now Stroll’s take on road car manufacturers…
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