Honda will return to F1 in a full works capacity for next season as it switches its allegiances from Red Bull to Aston Martin.
It split with Red Bull after initially electing to walk away from Formula 1.
That prompted the Milton Keynes squad to invest heavily in developing its own power unit program before joining forces with Ford.
Honda subsequently decided to remain in F1 with Aston Martin to become its factory effort.
That will see the Silverstone-based operation drop its current Mercedes supply, which will instead go to Alpine.
It’s part of a broader approach at Aston Martin, which is reinventing itself under Lawrence Stroll’s ownership.
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Design legend Adrian Newey will join the team in March. The squad recently completed the construction of an impressive new factory and wind tunnel.
There has been a heavy recruitment drive too which has bolstered its technical staff immensely, offering it resources on par with F1’s top teams.
Becoming the Honda factory team was seen as another step in that direction, especially given the success the Japanese brand has enjoyed with Red Bull in recent seasons.
New regulations for 2026 bring with them an increased reliance on electrification and the elimination of the expensive MGU-H.
It creates an all-new challenge for engine manufacturers, leading Honda to make a startling admission.
“We are struggling,” Watanabe revealed.
“Now we are trying our best to show the result next year.
“Everything is new,” he added.
“The motor is a new 355-kW, very compact one we need. Also the lightweight battery, it’s not so easy to develop. And also the small engine with the big power.
“Everything is very difficult, but we try our best.”
Regulations were changed for 2026 in an effort to attract new manufacturers into the sport.
Audi has joined the fray and has taken complete ownership of Sauber. It will rebrand the Swiss operation in its own image, and introduce its own power unit, for next season.
Ford has also returned to F1 after a long hiatus, while General Motors has announced its interest – though that is linked with the pending Cadillac entry, and will not be ready for 2026.
Along with changes to the technical specification of the power units, a cost cap has also been implemented.
According to Newey, the new regulations could lead to one manufacturer dominating, as Mercedes did from 2014.
“There has to be a big chance that it’s an engine formula at the start,” Newey told Auto Motor und Sport of the 2026 rules.
“I can’t remember another time in Formula 1 when both the chassis regulations and the engine regulations have changed simultaneously, and where in this case the chassis regulations have been very much written to try to compensate, let’s say, for the power unit regulations. So there’s an extra dimension.
“There has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top, and it will become a power-unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with,” he continued.
“There’s a chance that if it’s on the combustion engine side of it, that somebody comes up with a dominant combustion engine that will last through the length of the formula, because the way the regulations are written, it’s quite difficult for people who are behind to catch up.
“If it’s on the electrical side, then there’s much more ability to catch up if you’re behind.
“And on the fuel side, which might play a role as well, there’s flexibility in principle, but with dyno restrictions and the fact that everything’s so optimised, you can’t simply chuck a different fuel into an engine that hasn’t been optimised for it.”
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