Aston Martin reaffirms Honda commitment after Red Bull engine questions

At Sunday’s post-race media sessions in Austin, Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack reaffirmed the team’s long-term commitment to Honda. He and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies had been asked about a possible future partnership between Aston Martin and Red Bull Powertrains.

Krack called Honda “a long-term partner” and said, “I think we will be together also when we win our first race together.”

Honda’s early power-unit deficit shocked Aston Martin, particularly owner Lawrence Stroll, and led to initial doubts. The team nevertheless chose to remain fully committed to Honda.

The works deal gives Aston Martin more scope than a customer arrangement to shape its partnership with Honda, with the potential for closer integration between the power unit and chassis. Newey and Honda have identified that integration as a priority for 2027.

The questions followed a BBC Q&A asking whether customer teams might be interested in Red Bull-Ford’s power unit after a better-than-expected first season. The answer said no F1 team was then looking for a power unit; it raised only the speculative possibility that Aston Martin’s doubts could return if Honda failed to make the expected step in 2027 or 2028.

Mekies said Red Bull was not in serious talks to supply another team and did not feel ready to do so. He said the project still had work to do on the power unit, its integration in the car and its level against the best competitors before considering another customer. Mekies did not regard the five-year position as fixed, but said nothing would change in the next year or so.