With the teams arriving in Monaco for the Monaco GP, Fernando Alonso‘s team, Aston Martin Racing and Honda have announced their agreement for the Japanese firm to be their engine supplier from 2026.
That is when there will be a regulations change which moves towards a more electric F1, with an engine that will have around 475hp from the hybrid system or ERS (energy recovery system).
MARCA had reported a few weeks ago that the progress of negotiations that were about to conclude, as happened early this morning, with the announcement at a press conference in Japan.
The big question is whether or not the Spanish driver will be sitting in that car for that season.
In an interview with MARCA last year, Fernando acknowledged that “the rule change is another temptation”, when MARCA asked him if it was possible that he was thinking about staying in F1 beyond the age of 45.
“We thought we would be fighting for podiums in 2024 and we have done it three times this year. Things seem to be going better than we expected and maybe that means there’s a temptation to extend the contract in the future, but there’s also the temptation to finish and do it with a smile on your face. I don’t know, really. It’s true that in 2026 there is another change of regulations with the new engines… and that’s another temptation,” said the Spaniard, knowing that this announcement was very close.
Honda would accept it
At a press conference early Wednesday morning, Toshihiro Mibe, Honda’s global CEO, was clear on the matter.
“The past is the past. Alonso is a genius. Alonso is a super talented driver. The decision on the drivers will be made by the team. We would like to make suggestions. And we would like a Japanese driver to be one of the candidates,” he said of the possibility of the Spaniard returning to drive one of those engines.
