Fernando Alonso comments on Honda reunion after strained F1 past

Fernando Alonso says it will be a “pleasure” for him to work with Honda in F1 again following his decision to extend his tenure with Aston Martin.

It was announced on Thursday afternoon that Alonso had re-committed to Aston Martin by agreeing a new “multi-year” contract extension that will keep him in F1 until at least the end of 2026.

The deal means that Alonso will have a reunion with Honda, who will takeover Aston Martin’s engine supply from Mercedes when new power unit regulations are introduced.

During his ill-fated second McLaren stint, Alonso upset Honda with some derogatory public comments about the Japanese manufacturer’s engine when they powered the Woking outfit between 2015 and 2017.

But the two-time world champion offered Honda some glowing praise and insisted he is excited to get the opportunity to work with them again.

"Part of the decision to stay at Aston is because they are with Honda for 2026. It was very, very important to me," Alonso said.

"Honda is definitely a manufacturer that has so much success in Formula 1 and in the world of motorsport, it was always a company that I respected.

"It didn't work for us at McLaren, in the years that they came to the sport, but right after that they fixed all the problems and they are currently dominating the sport.

"I think they will have a baseline for 2026 that is already very strong, but also they have the capacity in Sakura of building something really nice.

"After the experience with McLaren-Honda and IndyCar as well, we have now the opportunity to work again together. That for me is a true pleasure.”

Alonso is confident that Aston Martin, together with Honda, will have everything needed to be successful during F1’s next regulation cycle.

"Obviously, with the sustainable fuels that we will have in 2026, this is something that I would love to experiment [with],” he said. "We have a great partner in Aramco, so I see a win-win situation.

"In 2026 we are going into the unknown for sure in terms of regulations, but if I have to choose one, my feeling is I will choose our project, our engine and our power unit.

"Firstly, because I think they are dominating the sport, they have a very, very strong engine on Red Bull and AlphaTauri [RB].

"And secondly, because with the new fuels and the new regulations, they will have all the tools available to succeed."