'I'm sure Tsunoda wants to drive a Honda-powered car'

Now that the engine deal between Aston Martin and Honda has been announced, speculation can immediately begin about which drivers will be in the car from 2026. At the press conference after the deal was announced, it was therefore asked whether Yuki Tsunoda would be looked at as an option for the Silverstone-based team.

Tsunoda is in his third year in Formula 1. The Japanese driver has impressed this year, beating his teammate Nyck de Vries every week. The 23-year-old is a Honda protégé, and so it would not be crazy for the Japanese engine supplier to want the AlphaTauri driver to join the team.

'We hope he becomes a candidate'

President of Honda Racing Corporation Koji Watanabe thinks it is too early to talk about the drivers in 2026, although he hopes Tsunoda has a chance of getting a seat: “He is originally from our school and in Formula 1 he is doing very well. We are very happy to see him succeeding. But talking about the future, we still have three years to go so it’s too early for us to say what will happen.But we’re hoping that he will become a candidate. But it’s up to the team to make the final decision."

Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, sees the Japanese driver performing well: "He’s making a great impression this year. He’s very young still, but relatively experienced but I think he’s made great progress. It’s tremendously exciting. He must be considered as a candidate. I’m sure he would love to drive a Honda-powered car."