It solves the dilemma of having all the benefits of an engineered engine without having to build one from scratch in Aston’s name, while also eliminating the need to share powerplants and other related components with key competitors .

In the words of Aston Martin Performance Technologies chief executive Martin Whitmarsh, relying on a supplier who also wants to beat you on track creates an “incompatibility”.

The Honda deal is the final piece of the puzzle that has gradually become clear since Stroll took over “Team Silverstone” in the summer of 2018. He hired the best engineers he could get, signed Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, and invested in a new factory and wind tunnel. Now he has solved the powerplant problem.

On the surface, Stroll appears to have formed the perfect partnership with Mercedes, whose parent company also owns a substantial stake in Aston Martin Lagonda Road Cars. The PU, gearbox and rear suspension kit from the winning outfit is a convenient starting point, allowing the team to focus on everything else.

This philosophy has worked well from the early days of Force India (initially using gearboxes and extra input from McLaren) to the days of Racing Point and now the days of Aston Martin. In those years the team sometimes had the best car in fourth place, but was always behind the main teams.

Aston has taken such a big step this year that the AMR23 is regularly the second-best car, ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari. This form could suggest that the next step in beating Red Bull and using the Mercedes customer package to win races and titles is within the team’s grasp.

In fact, there could be further progress on the currently scheduled final two seasons before Honda arrives in 2026.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Photography: Steven Tee / motorsport pictures

However, Mercedes and Ferrari are underperforming in 2023, while Aston – making no mistake – is arguably flattered to some extent. In order to beat these teams and Red Bull with distinction and consistency, the team had to find a way to break free from the constraints of Mercedes and find a new path, not limited by, for example, other gearboxes and suspension architectures.

The desire to take control of its own destiny in terms of power unit supply has always been embraced by the team. In late 2014, McLaren boss Ron Dennis gave an interesting insight into what he was thinking at the time. McLaren used a Mercedes hybrid engine for a transition season before switching to Honda, and Dennis watched with dismay as the factory team dominated.

He claimed McLaren didn’t have the opportunity to fully utilize the Brixworth power unit due to lack of access to the data, and he even suggested the team didn’t have the “best engine”. His words made it clear that the team’s 20-year partnership with Mercedes was coming to an end under serious pressure.

“My view, the view held by many in our organization, is that if you don’t get the best engine from the people who built your engine, you have no chance of winning a world championship,” he said.

“At this moment, the engine of a modern grand prix is ​​not just about pure power, it’s about how you collect energy, it’s about how you store energy, and if you don’t have control over the process – meaning access to the source code – then you will Not being able to stabilize your car on corner entrances etc and you’re going to lose a lot of lap time.

“Even if you have the same brand of engine, it doesn’t mean you have the ability to optimize the engine. So you have to put yourself in the position to have the best engine first.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for the next few years. We have a good partnership with Mercedes, but we intend to do it with Honda.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff shrugged off Dennis’ accusations. Since then, regulations have become stricter, and client engines must be identical to those of the associated work team and run with the same parameters. So the suspicion that you’re not getting an equivalent device is less valid than it was then.

Dennis’ argument in favor of an engineering deal might carry more weight if he focused less on pure performance and more on the obvious benefit of having a dedicated partner – the ability to fully integrate your chassis and engine package.

However, McLaren and Honda failed to do so during their disastrous liaison in 2015-2017, with miscommunication exacerbating weaknesses in their respective technology products.

Max Verstappen to drive Honda-powered Red Bull in 2021

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

When it fell apart and the Japanese manufacturer was dumped by Woking, Red Bull was more than happy to step in.

Christian Horner is also well aware of the drawbacks of being an engine customer, often giving the impression that RBR won the world championship despite not because of its former engine supplier Renault.

In contrast, Red Bull and Honda quickly forged an effective and open technical partnership that could still achieve more by the end of 2025.

After that, Red Bull will take full control of its own destiny with its own Ford-backed powerplant, while Aston Martin will get the full Honda-backed job and all the associated benefits.

“Mercedes has been a great partner to the team,” Whitmarsh said. “They still do. They’re here to win. We’re here to win, obviously. So at the end of the day, there’s some incompatibility between the two missions. That’s why we took the decision.

“I think the first obvious example is that we currently share a wind tunnel with them. However, we have to spend a lot of money to build our own wind tunnel, which is only four or five miles away from the fairly suitable wind tunnel we use .

“But the nature of F1 is that if you want to win, it means beating Mercedes, and if you rely on Mercedes’ intellectual property, facilities and components, beating an organization as good as Mercedes. is extremely difficult.

“As you know, Silverstone has a great tradition of achieving big bangs with little cost. But we’re in a different position now, with the Aston Martin brand, the ambitions of Lawrence Stroll, and now the greats like Honda. Partners, we’re here to win.

“So you have to fully integrate facilities, processes and methods.”

Whitmarsh says it’s time for Aston to step out of Mercedes’ shadow

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

Under the next set of regulations, close collaboration between the polyurethane and chassis worlds will become more important than ever, says Whitmarsh.

“I think the 2026 technical regulations do require very, very substantial full integration,” he said. “And not just the physical integration of components, but the operational integration that delivers and wins to a greater extent.

“In my opinion, it’s very, very difficult to consistently win titles without a full working relationship and that’s why we made this decision and why we’re happy to have a great partner like Honda.”

A key step for Aston now is to establish its own gearbox design and build facility before moving to Honda, something that Aston has not had in-house for years due to supply deals with McLaren and later Mercedes .

Sauber has had to make a similar move – after years of using Ferrari, it is now building its own team in preparation for the transition to Audi in 2026.

“The 2026 chassis regulations haven’t been finalized yet,” Whitmarsh said when asked about the gearbox. “I hope sanity will prevail. We will choose to simplify very complex transmissions. But we are currently recruiting and we are facing the challenges you highlighted.

“We have a great partnership at the moment. We have great components and systems that are given to us. But it’s about growing this team. You’re going to win in F1 and that means beating the existing partners. This means that in order to do this, we must be independent.

Honda and Astion Martin Racing F1 Team

Photo: Aston Martin Racing

“We’re building fantastic facilities, we’re moving away from Mercedes-Benz and that’s not reflected in them. They’ve done a fantastic job for us and they’ll continue to do a fantastic job for us. work. But obviously we’re here to beat them. That means we have to be self-reliant.”

Working partnerships depend on good communication to work successfully. Whitmarsh’s knowledge of Honda dates back to 1989 and the quieter days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

He later persuaded the Japanese manufacturer to rejoin McLaren in the hybrid era, although he left the team before the partnership began.

This breakdown in the relationship was due in large part to miscommunication and the early onset of a blame culture. Whitmarsh watched how it unfolded as a well-connected outsider who wouldn’t let Aston make the same mistake.

“I think you have to build a partnership of mutual respect,” he said. “I think you have to listen to each other and make sure you strike the right balance. Inevitably when you design the chassis and the PU there are various tradeoffs. I think Honda is a very polite, correct and thorough partner.

“I think it’s very easy for European racing culture to not hear in these discussions what it should and should be doing. I believe we as a team, we are a new and growing team, we have big ambitions , I think as we begin this partnership, we hope to have started listening.

“I’ve obviously visited Sakura before this announcement, and I’m a huge believer in Honda’s incredible facilities, great enthusiasm and great engineers.”