Aston Martin and its upcoming engine partner Honda are open to extending Alonso’s partnership to 2026

Aston Martin would love Fernando Alonso to continue driving for them in 2026 if he remains competitive, says its Performance Technologies CEO Martin Whitmarsh, and incoming engine partner Honda says they would have no objection to him driving despite his difficult past relationship.

Earlier on Wednesday, at a press conference in Tokyo, Honda announced that it would make a full-scale return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin in 2026, drawn by new power unit rules introduced from that season that focus in electricity and the use of 100% sustainable fuel.

READ MORE: Honda to return to full-scale F1 in 2026 by joining forces with Aston Martin

Alonso, 41, joined Aston Martin for this season on a multi-year deal and is enjoying his best season in a decade, having scored four podium finishes from five races to sit third in the drivers’ championships behind the two Red Bulls.

The Spaniard, who will be 44 at the start of Aston Martin’s relationship with Honda, was not afraid to give his assessment of the Japanese manufacturer’s performance when he drove with that power unit for three seasons with McLaren in 2015-17. He called the power unit a “GP2 engine” on the team radio when he was driving at Honda’s home track in Suzuka.

Asked if Honda would have any objections to running Alonso, should Aston Martin take him in 2026, Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe said: “We have been accelerating our development for the whole our recent time in Formula 1, while working with Alonso, and that allowed us to win the World Championship.

“The selection of drivers is up to the team to decide. So, if the team decides that we will have Alonso back as a driver, we will have no objection to him driving.”

Aston Martin Performance Technologies group CEO Martin Whitmarsh said Alonso’s presence was not discussed with Honda during power unit talks, but said it would be “fantastic” if the two-time world champion was driving for them at 2026.

“Clearly Fernando is doing a great job in the team and I am delighted to have him as part of our team as he is making a great contribution both on and off the track,” said Whitmarsh. “Obviously I spoke to Fernando a while ago about the direction we wanted to take.

“He is a very smart person, I am sure everyone here is referring to some comments that were once made in the heat of battle, which were quite memorable to some, but I think he understands and respects what Honda is doing.

“We have to be aware, and we haven’t said it, but we should say it, Honda won the 2021 and 2022 World Championships and unless we can beat them this year, they will do it again. So, they’re a great partner for us, and I think Fernando sees that.

ANALYSIS: How and why Honda and Aston Martin teamed up for 2026

“Probably 2026, who knows, is probably outside of your planning horizon right now. We have to give him a car that is consistently capable of winning races. As I hope you have observed, we have made a reasonable step forward this year, we are not where we need to be yet, but we continue to develop the team facilities and we will get stronger.

“And we will have a discussion before 2026, I am sure, about where the future of Fernando is. I expect him to be around for several years, and it would be great if he was as fit and competitive as he is today. So it would be great to have him in the car in 2026 as well.”