Aston Martin and Honda accept difficult 2026 but confident of championship push

21:01, 20 Jan

byDrew Murphy

Lawrence Stroll and Honda admit that next season will be difficult, but are confident of turning things around and are sticking to their championship contender plan.

Aston Martin and Honda officially launched their Formula 1 partnership with a power unit launch event in Tokyo, Japan.

The Silverstone-based outfit believes it now has “all the elements required to fight for victory” in the future.

Photo: RacePictures

The Japanese manufacturer originally pulled out of F1 in 2021 but remained in a technical partnership with Red Bull.

At the event, Honda revealed its new power unit, RA626H, which is the first of its return to F1 for the new engine regulations.

Now, together with Honda, Aston Martin have their first opportunity as an OEM, a step forward in the team's goal of becoming a championship contender.

Winning is what drives both companies forward

Speaking at the event, Aston Martin owner Stroll said: “Aston Martin and Honda share many values, and those values have brought us together for 2026 and beyond.

“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.

Photo: RacePictures

"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.”

Honda president Toshihiro Mibe said: “Honda is positioning F1 as a symbol of challenge and innovation, and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the global racing arm of Honda, developed RA626H, the new PU for the 2026 season.

Honda understands it will be tough

Honda do however understand that becoming a championship contender will not be simple.

Mibe added: "There's no easy path to victory. That is a harsh reality and at the same time, the greatest allure of Formula 1.

"The Honda Challenging spirit is rooted in the mindset of our founder, Mr Soichiro Honda.

"Commit to becoming number one in the world. Take on the most difficult challenges. This mindset is the starting point of the Honda DNA of embracing challenges.

"We deliberately choose not to take the easy path but the difficult one, from which we learn, grow, and establish technologies that earn the admiration of the world.

"This is a spirit that we carry forward to this date as our approach to challenges."

The anticipated AMR26 will be Adrian Newey's first for Aston Martin, who replaced Andy Cowell as team principal, with the engine guru overseeing the integration between the team and Honda.

Aston Martin will officially launch its 2026 car on February 9, only after the behind-closed-doors test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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