Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe has revealed the Japanese marque spoke with “several” Formula 1 teams before landing a works engine deal with Aston Martin.
Honda returned to the F1 fold in 2015 with McLaren after a seven-year absence from the series, yielding unsuccessful results with an unreliable and underperforming hybrid power unit.
That all changed with a switch to Toro Rosso in 2018 and a deal to power both Red Bull-owned teams from 2019 that helped power Max Verstappen to his four world titles from 2021 through to last term.
However, only the first of those four titles was officially powered by Honda, with the Japanese marque stepping away from the sport at the end of 2021, leaving Red Bull to operate its engine with limited technical support from the Japanese company.
It didn’t take long for Honda to return to F1, however, announcing in 2023 a works engine deal with Aston Martin that will commence in 2026 in tandem with new regulations.
However, in a conversation with Motorsport.com, Watanabe said several F1 teams made contact with Honda regarding a potential engine deal before it signed with the Silverstone-based squad.
“In the first part of the process there were only conversations between Honda and Red Bull,” he said.
“The discussions with other teams started after we officially registered ourselves with the FIA as a power unit supplier for 2026. That was in November 2022.
“Then some other teams contacted us, as they were interested in working with Honda. We talked to those parties and made a decision.
“I cannot give you the exact number, but several teams.
“With some of those we’ve only had contact once and some others we’ve met several times.”
Honda ‘struggling’ with F1 engine development
With less than a month until the 2026 F1 engine rules come into place, whereby there will be increased electrification and the introduction of sustainable fuels, Honda has admitted it’s struggling with development.
Speaking to PlanetF1, Watanabe said that Honda is finding it difficult to get to grips with the new regulations as it builds Aston Martin’s new power unit.
“We are struggling,” Watanabe admitted.
“Now we are trying our best to show the result next year.
“Everything is new. The motor is a new 355-kW, very compact one we need.
“Also the lightweight battery, it’s not so easy to develop. And also the small engine with the big power.
“Everything is very difficult, but we try our best.”
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