Alonso: Reuniting with Honda in F1 2026 "motivating"

On Thursday, Alonso and Aston Martin announced the Spaniard would stay with the team until at least 2026, when Honda joins the Silverstone team as its works power unit partner.

Alonso and Honda endured strained ties when they worked together during a fraught three-year McLaren-Honda partnership, which was terminated early due to poor results and an increasingly difficult working relationship off the track.

At the time, the two-time F1 world champion did little to endear him to the proud Japanese company with some of the public criticism he handed out.

But seven years on, those wounds appear to have healed. While Alonso acknowledged it "didn't work out at McLaren", he said being able to work again with Honda was a big part of his call to renew his deal at Aston Martin.

"Part of the decision to stay at Aston is because they are with Honda for 2026. It was very, very important to me," Alonso said.

"Honda is definitely a manufacturer that has so much success in Formula 1 and in the world of motorsport, it was always a company that I respected.

"It didn't work for us at McLaren, in the years that they came to the sport, but right after that they fixed all the problems and they are currently dominating the sport.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32 Honda, parks up with engine troubles

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

"I think they will have a baseline for 2026 that is already very strong, but also they have the capacity in Sakura of building something really nice.

"After the experience with McLaren-Honda and IndyCar as well, we have now the opportunity to work again together. That for me is a true pleasure."

Honda and Aston's fuel partner Aramco are believed to be in good shape for F1's switch to sustainable fuels, which further convinced Alonso the tie-up was a "win-win" situation this time around.

"Obviously, with the sustainable fuels that we will have in 2026, this is something that I would love to experiment [with]," the 42-year-old explained. "We have a great partner in Aramco, so I see a win-win situation.

"In 2026 we are going into the unknown for sure in terms of regulations, but if I have to choose one, my feeling is I will choose our project, our engine and our power unit.

"Firstly, because I think they are dominating the sport, they have a very, very strong engine on Red Bull and AlphaTauri [RB].

"And secondly, because with the new fuels and the new regulations, they will have all the tools available to succeed."