Honda officially returns to F1! The Japanese manufacturer will once again become an engine supplier, but this time not for Red Bull

Japanese carmaker Honda has confirmed it will return to Formula One as a powertrain supplier. It will become the official supplier of Aston Martin from 2026, which will also see a slight change to its name at that time.

Honda is already a well-known brand in the world of Formula 1. In the distant past it even had its own team, and more recently it acted as the official engine supplier to Red Bull.

And just on the official side of things, Honda is pulling out of F1 at the end of 2021 to focus on its own environmental goals. In that unofficial way, however, the Japanese manufacturer has stayed in touch with Red Bull as part of a technical partnership, with the Austrian team having to pay for Honda-made parts.

However, the Milton Keynes-based team is preparing to build its own powertrains from 2026, with support from Ford, at the Red Bull Powertrains factory.

It should be remembered that F1 is introducing new powertrain regulations from 2026 to comply with a new set of sustainability targets, with the inclusion of carbon-neutral fuels and a greater emphasis on electric power ratios.

These new future regulations ultimately did prompt Honda to decide to return to the grid from 2026 and team up with Aston Martin.

This should also involve a slight name change, as from the aforementioned year, the team will officially bear the name Aston Martin Aramco Honda.

The final piece of the puzzle?

Not only the Japanese brand, thanks to the new rules, Audi will also join F1. According to Racing News 365, Aston was still trying to make a deal with the German brand, but it will be working with Sauber from 2026.

The move to factory-based collaboration is the final piece of the puzzle for Aston Martin to become an “equal” rival to the Big Three in the championship fight. And it’s a clear confirmation of the Silverstone team’s ambitions.

“We are confident that the technology and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be directly applied to our future production electric cars, such as the electric flagship sports car. And also in electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL technology, which is currently under research and development,” Honda global CEO Toshihiro Mibe said in an official statement.

F1, Racing News 365