Aston Martin are experiencing something of a mid-season revival in 2025, with updates to the AMR25 helping Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll propel the team in the standings.
With five points finishes in the last six races, Alonso in particular is seeing improved results after a frustrating start to the campaign.
Of course, the updates introduced in previous months were designed at the beginning of 2025. Like most teams, Aston Martin have been focused on 2026 for some time.
One of the key components of their 2026 project is Honda, whose engines could make or break their fortunes.
Fernando Alonso in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images)
Honda gives Aston Martin the final piece of the puzzle
The aspiration of most Formula 1 teams, at least those with ambitions of winning Champions, is to become manufacturers.
Throughout the 21st century, the benefits of making your own engine have been proven on numerous occasions.
Mercedes took the sport by storm when the 2014 regulations arrived, largely thanks to their own engines.
Even Red Bull, who enjoyed success as a Renault customer in the early 2010s, took a massive risk in switching to Honda engines in 2019 – a decision seen as necessary to put their entire development in their own hands.
In a similar way, Aston Martin reached an engine agreement with Honda in May 2023.
This deal essentially transforms the Silverstone outfit from a customer team into a manufacturer.
This means, starting from next year, Aston will be in complete control of every single aspect of their F1 challengers.
With the team’s new wind tunnel, simulator and factory campuses having recently been completed, there is immense potential ahead of 2026.
Adrian Newey has been working intensely since March to ensure the infrastructure at Silverstone is being used effectively.
Based on this year’s upgrades to the AMR25, there is reason for Aston to be optimistic about the correlation between the wind tunnel and the track.
This gives the team a little more certainty heading into 2026.
If Aston’s aerodynamic department delivers, a strong power unit could realise the team’s aspirations of fighting at the front.
In many ways, the Japanese manufacturer could be the difference-maker.
Andy Cowell Adrian Newey ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco (Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images)
F1 more competitive than ever
At the beginning of the year, Honda admitted that the 2026 engine was posing some significant challenges.
These statements, however, were more of a general assessment of the new regulations – rather than an admission that Honda’s progress was falling behind.
Still, there is no denying that the equation for success next year will be extremely complex.
Five different manufacturers – Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda, Audi and RBPT will present their engines in 2026.
Given the amount of specificities within the regulations, there is immense scope for both success and failure.
In the case of Honda, they are far more established than the two newcomers in Audi and Red Bull Powertrains.
The bare minimum, therefore, will be to supply Aston Martin with a competent engine relative to the rest.
If Aston’s ambitions of winning titles are to be fulfilled, however, Honda must be capable of matching Mercedes and Ferrari – both in terms of performance and reliability.
Main photo: James Sutton/LAT Images (via Aston Martin media gallery)