Aston Martin has been making huge strides forward under the leadership of owner Lawrence Stroll and team principal Mike Krack. Amidst the many changes that the team is making to move forward on the grid, the British team recently finalized a deal with Honda. The Japanese Manufacturer will be providing the engines for Aston Martin from 2026. Fernando Alonso’s history with Honda led many people to believe that the Spaniard would not be overly pleased with this decision. Amidst these speculations, Mike Krack has revealed that the team did not include Alonso during their talks about securing Honda as a partner.
Fernando Alonso and Honda date back to 2015 when the Spaniard was a driver at McLaren. Honda used to supply engines to the Woking side back then. However, they weren’t really as good as Alonso wanted them to be. There were several instances where the Spaniard publicly criticized the Honda engines. Alonso went to the lengths of accusing Honda of making “GP2 Engines”
GP2 engine pic.twitter.com/MfVwUAgqkM
— FalkenGTR (@FalkenSkyline) May 24, 2023
However, as things stand now, the two-time world champion has no problems with the tie-up between Aston Martin and Honda. He is optimistic that the partnership will only lead to good things. Alonso said, “It’s very good news for the team. Very excited. I think it shows the commitment of Aston Martin to really win races, win championships in the future”
Fernando Alonso was kept informed about the decision-making process
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has claimed that even though the Spaniard was not involved in the talks with Honda, he was kept informed about everything. The public fallout between Alonso and Honda might have been one of the reasons why the star driver was not involved during the talks.
Krack said, “Fernando [Alonso] was not involved in the discussions, but he was always kept informed. We wanted to hear his ideas, his opinions, as we do for every subject because he is a key member of the team, just like Lance.”
Honda would be providing Aston Martin with the engines that would be made under the new regulations from 2026 onwards. The engines will see greater usage of electrical power, as well as 100% sustainable fuel. With Honda joining the team, Aston Martin will become a complete works team. This brings a lot of advantages. Primarily, they would have complete control over all the aspects of building their own car, which they cannot afford to do now since they source their engine from Mercedes.
Lawrence Stroll’s big plans for Aston Martin
Lawrence Stroll had already made it very clear that his ambition with Aston Martin was sky-high. He has invested millions of dollars into the team to enable it to develop and progress. The team has already moved into a state-of-the-art factory at Silverstone, and a new wind tunnel is being created for the team’s use. Adding Honda as their partner is one of the many steps that Lawrence Stroll is taking to achieve his ambitions.
Honda has made quite an impression on Formula 1 with their work alongside Red Bull. Before leaving the team at the end of the 2021 season, they helped Max Verstappen fend off Lewis Hamilton and win his first World Championship title. Therefore, they are expected to help Aston Martin in their journey to the top of the league.
