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Honda "had a slightly late start" but hope to develop their engine for 2026
Despite having a "slightly late start", Honda and its leader of the F1 project at the Japanese manufacturer, Tetsushi Kakuda, are hoping to have their engine homologated (approved, ed.) by February 2026. After partnering with Red Bull Racing, for the 2026 season, they will move teams and become the official engine supplier of Aston Martin when the new regulations come into play.
Cooperation between Honda and Red Bull comes to an end
As a result of Honda now partnering with the British team, the partnership between the Japanese manufacturer and Red Bull Racing will end after the 2025 season. During Max Verstappen's dominant season in 2023, Red Bull Racing became the constructors' champion at the Japanese Grand Prix, winning his third world title in front of the Honda employees.
However, this successful period between the two sides will now come to an end after this season, with Honda now developing their 2026 engine for Aston Martin. It was recently revealed that Honda were struggling to develop a power unit in time for that season, that is also because Honda had to rebuild their squad after they revised their decision of leaving the competition they made back in 2020.
Planning for Honda regarding 2026
Kakuda, Honda's project manager in F1, spoke about the Japanese manufacturer's planning towards 2026: "We are aiming to submit the homologation in February next year - since we had a slightly late start, we want to push forward until the very last moment. It's difficult to say exactly what percentage of progress we have made, but I believe we have reached a considerable stage," he told Autosport.
"Regarding how we handle high-speed combustion, fuel-related factors also come into play. The environment is changing drastically, and things will not work the same way as before. However, for a gasoline engine, the eternal goal is to burn fuel as quickly as possible. We are currently building an environment to achieve something similar," concluded Kakuda.
This article was created in collaboration with Estéban den Toom
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