Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll believes the prospect of joining up with Honda for 2026 onwards will pave the way for them to challenge for titles.
News has broken this week that Honda are going to return to F1 as a fully-fledged power unit supplier from 2026 – a year that sees a serious overhaul in the engine regulations and a move from the sport to use 100% sustainable fuels.
They have, of course, enjoyed great success in recent years working alongside Red Bull Racing and will be aiming to bring that to Aston, who are obviously showing a huge amount of potential and ambition.
In 2023, we have seen Aston make a big step forwards to get amongst the front-runners but they are still a little off of the pace when it comes to challenging for race wins, with Red Bull currently leading the way.
Their project to become championship challengers in the near future seems to be on track, though, and Stroll has now gone on record to say that this Honda tie-up will hopefully prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw when it comes to being in the title fight.
Speaking at the press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday as the partnership was confirmed, Stroll said:
“Aston Martin and Honda have a lot in common, including engineering excellence and a long-term commitment and passion to win.
“Honda and its engineers are racers and love to develop its products in competition. Racing is part of its DNA and is also a part of Aston Martin’s DNA and together, we will win.
“Our partnership with Honda is the final piece in the jigsaw to establish Aston Martin as a top team capable of winning world titles.
“Combined with our new campus, we are giving the team all the tools it needs to win.
“To establish Aston Martin at the very top of the sport, we need to exploit every single area of our technical package and now, a bespoke PU is the most important last step in that journey.”
Another exciting step for Aston Martin, though in the years before 2026 they will be aiming to go close to their ultimate aims as well.
Right now you could argue they are the second quickest team on the grid and in 2024 and 2025 they’ll be aiming to close the gap to Red Bull, even before Honda arrive.
