Source: DAZN
Much has been rumored about the possible talks that Aston Martin and Honda they were spoken to motorize the team. And it is that, although the Japanese seemed that they wanted to leave Formula 1, now that they have found the key in their engine and have won a World Cup, they want to stay, as is normal. Given Red Bull's agreement with Ford from 2026, there was no room left for them, and one of the teams to go to was Aston Martin.
Now it is certain that this association is going to take place from 2026. That will be the date on which the single-seaters of the Aston Martin team will begin to use Honda engines and thus become an official team, not a customer. So it will be important for them not to have to depend on another motorist.
Aston Martin therefore You will leave your current relationship as a Mercedes customer. The German firm will continue to supply engines as up to now until the start of the contract with Honda, that is, 2025 will be the last year in which the green team will use these engines. However, the relationship with Mercedes has gone very well so far, and it seems that the team is happy with the material and performance provided by the star's brand.
As you know, Fernando Alonso has a contract with the Silvestone team until 2024, in the multi-year contract he signed with the team after Alpine's departure. It is still unknown if the contract will be extended beyond that date or not. But it would be interesting to see if the paths of Alonso and Honda cross again after what happened at McLaren-Honda. If they did so, perhaps it could even be interesting beyond Formula 1, since it would open doors for him to compete in the Indy 500 with a top team.
UPDATE: Honda-Alonso
The CEO of Honda, the Japanese Toshihiro Mibe, has assured during the conference in which the official announcement was made today that: «The past is the past. Alonso is a super talent and we respect him enormously as a driver»
On the other hand, Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, has also assured something similar: «We were in a very difficult moment, we did our best as a manufacturer of power units and that is why we have come to win. Alonso is a genius as a driver, we respect him enormously.".