Analysis: What are Honda's options to continue in F1? And which is the best?

After announcing their exit from Formula 1, Honda have given up on the idea and intends to continue in the category under the new engine regulations that come into effect from 2026. In 2023, the name Honda will be back on Red Bull and AlphaTauri's engine name. It will be called Honda RBPT. This article analyses the options of the Japanese engine manufacterous have to remain in the category.

On Tuesday, it was disclosed that Honda registered their interest to be an engine manufacturer in Formula 1 in 2026. The news confirms something that had been speculated for some time: the Japanese engine makers have given up plans to abandon the category and wish to continue operating when the new regulations come into force.

However, the Japanese team could face difficulties, as Red Bull will not give up building their own engines and does not want to have a technical partner to take over the production. So, Honda would already be looking for other opportunities within F1. But which teams would be available to join the brand? And which would present the best alternative for a competitive future?

Red Bull's B team have competed with different engines to the main team on more than one occasion. However, with the energy brand's desire to build their own power unit, it seems unlikely that they will give up having the second team using the component and assisting in their development.

The solution for Honda could be to buy AlphaTauri, taking advantage of the poor state of Red Bull's young driver programme, which has struggled to launch new names in the category in the very recent past. However, operating a factory team would require a much bigger investment than just supplying engines and, so far, there has been no indication that Honda intend to go down this route.

A highly unlikely alternative, considering the way the partnership ended in 2017, but one that could be the best for all involved.

McLaren (pushed by Fernando Alonso) didn't have the patience to wait for Honda to get their hand right on their hybrid engines and swapped the carmaker for Renault - and subsequently Mercedes. Despite having achieved an evolution by the simple fact of not suffering so many breakdowns anymore, he never managed to make the leap he wanted to fight for regular victories and titles again. In addition, he saw the Japanese team reaching the top and becoming champions with Red Bull. It seems that, in the end, Ron Dennis was right: in the current F1, it would be practically impossible to fight for the title again without being a factory team.

For Honda, it would be difficult to forget all the criticism received by the team and by Alonso in the past, but to re-edit the collaboration would be the best option not to be so far away from the front platoon. All the teams better placed than McLaren in 2022 produce their own engines and the teams behind either already have other agreements (Sauber/Audi, for example) or need a much longer process to fight for the top positions.

After McLaren, it might be Honda's most interesting option. After being acquired by Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin has been making high investments to become competitive in Formula 1. A new factory is being built at Silverstone, over 37,000 square metres, and will be one of the most modern in the category. Aston Martin would certainly be able to produce their own engines, as it does in categories like World Endurance and IMSA SportsCar Championship, but so far it has given no sign that it will make this investment in the near future.

The only stumbling block may be the link with Mercedes, which goes beyond F1. The German carmaker equips the luxury cars of the British brand with their engines since 2018 and is one of the shareholders of Aston Martin, with 9.7% of the shares. In addition, the team has just hired Fernando Alonso, a disaffection of the brand for the reasons explained earlier. A reconciliation between the two parties would be necessary.

The other real options would be Williams and Haas. Despite using Ferrari engines since entering Formula One, a switch of supplier was not ruled out by Haas boss Günther Steiner in an interview with Mirror in October this year. Williams, meanwhile, has a contract with Mercedes, but could seek new paths in the future. The team from Grove was pointed out by Dutch journalist Jack Plooij, from Ziggo Sport, as an alternative to Porsche after the negotiation with Red Bull failed, but there was no confirmation so far.

Despite not having any irreplaceable ties for 2026, the two teams would pose a major challenge for Honda to succeed in F1, as both have been among the three worst-placed teams in the Constructors' World Championship for the past four years and have a recent history of financial difficulties.

Honda's final alternative would be to team up with a new team to bid for an 11th place on the grid. Andretti has indicated a strong desire to enter the category in recent months and has even started to build a new headquarters from where the F1 team would operate. Besides the Americans, billionaire Calvin Lo, from Hong Kong, revealed that he also intends to create his team to enter F1. Michael Andretti has been facing a lot of resistance from the current teams to expand the grid and Lo should face the same scenario, but a deal to become Honda's factory team could strengthen either of the two bids.