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Why did Aston Martin turn to Honda engines when history and circumstances suggest it was risky? – Emily

Aston Martin has signed its deal to become Honda’s engine partner in early 2023.

At the time, the prevailing wisdom in Formula 1 was that a team needed a factory engine deal to win the championship. The only time this hasn’t happened before in the modern era was with Brown in 2009, and those were exceptional circumstances.

Since then, McLaren has proven with its Mercedes engines that it is possible to win the title as a customer, but Aston Martin didn’t know that at the time.

McLaren was also the team that struggled when Honda returned to F1 in 2015 unprepared. The pair parted ways after three difficult years, but while Honda has gradually improved following its move to Red Bull, it is only in 2021 that they have produced a fully competitive engine.

The same man primarily responsible for McLaren and Aston Martin’s deals with Honda was Martin Whitmarsh, who was CEO of the Aston Martin team.

You might think that Whitmarsh has been “bitten twice shy” when it comes to Honda.

But on the basis that Honda was winning with Red Bull at the time, and that gave the ambitious team an exclusive engine deal, it would be difficult to argue that it was an obviously poor decision when it was made.

In hindsight, of course, that was a big mistake. If Aston Martin still had a Mercedes engine, they would be in a much better position – although there are serious question marks over their car as well at the moment.

Honda’s situation is very reminiscent of 2015. New engine is low on power and poor in energy recovery.

After a decade in Formula 1, and despite the hiatus in which they thought they were withdrawing and dissolving much of the engine division, how they found themselves in this place again still seems astounding.

The angry and desperate look on team owner Lawrence Stroll’s face in Bahrain said it all.

For Fernando Alonso, who struggled for Honda at McLaren, it must be heartbreaking.