'After McLaren and Aston Martin, another F1 manufacturer enters endurance racing'

After McLaren and Aston Martin, another Formula 1 manufacturer has plans to enter the top class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). According to The Race, Honda is on the verge of committing to a hypercar program.

The WEC has no shortage of interest these days. One top manufacturer after another is joining the premier endurance class, currently dominated by Toyota and Ferrari. Honda has also noticed the surge in interest, which is said to have contributed to the company seriously considering an entry.

Honda reportedly does not intend to fund a program alone. The Japanese manufacturer is said to have found Inter Europol Competition—winners of the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2023 and 2025 and IMSA class champions in 2024—to pair up with. One of the two cars could then compete entirely under the Honda banner.

Max Verstappen with the Honda team - Photo: RacePictures

Honda already has Acura

Honda would hardly need to develop an entirely new engine. In the IMSA series, the manufacturer already runs Acura, a brand under the Honda umbrella. Therefore, it would be simple to rebrand this engine.

Honda’s priorities, however, remain MotoGP and Formula 1. In F1, the team will be Aston Martin’s engine supplier in 2026, after years of major success with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing.

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