Photo: Race Pictures

How Aston Martin will take over from Red Bull Racing in 2026

20:09, 04 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Aston Martin’s ambitions publicly set for the 2026 F1 season have been bolstered by their future partner and power unit supplier, Honda.

"For what I see, I am surprised by the commitment and the aggressive approach they have."

- Enrico Cardile.

The Japanese manufacturer has powered all of Max Verstappen’s four titles to date, with the Dutch driver currently vying for a fifth consecutive crown. Come 2026 Aston Martin will be in exactly the same position Red Bull Racing currently find themselves in, as Honda’s focus will be fixed solely on aiding the Silverstone-based outfit’s achieve its lofty ambitions.

Speaking on the Beyond the grid podcast, Ferrari’s former technical leader Enrico Cardile elaborated on the benefits the exclusive partnership with the Japanese manufacturer has already yielded for the team owned by Lawrence Stroll.

He said: “On one end, during the development, they’re just trying to satisfy our request. So they don’t need to find any compromise with different requests on one hand.

“On the other hand, I guess they can push a bit more on development, because having to provide power units just to one team, the quantities are lower than having multiple teams, and this is allowing them to push more for the development.”

Aston Martin currently sit P7 in the Constructors' Standings. Photo: Race Pictures

Cardile admitted his focus was only “marginally” set on Honda’s power unit. The Italian at the present moment is working alongside Senior Technical Partner Adrian Newey, designing the British racing green coloured team’s challenger for the upcoming season. Nevertheless, he’s been surprised by the Japanese manufacturer’s “aggressive approach.”

He continued: “Personally since I joined, I’m focusing my attention on the chassis, so just marginally, I’m seeing what Honda is doing. For what I see, I am surprised by the commitment and the aggressive approach they have.

“They’re very open to collaborating, on satisfying the requests we have [on the] chassis side but my focus is, so far, completely, I would say, on the chassis development, rather than the power unit,” he concluded.

Aston Martin certain they can dominate in F1

Aston Martin CEO and team principal Andy Cowell says the team’s goal is to win multiple back-to-back championships and “get to the top and stay at the top,” whilst emphasising honesty, not overpromising, and taking on a single-focus approach which is set solely on improving the race car. You can read his statements here.

However, 2025 has proven to be a challenging campaign for the Silverstone-based racing stable, as they currently sit in P7 in the Constructors' championship.

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