Honda launches F1 2026 power unit in new partnership with Aston Martin

Honda revealed its new power unit for the 2026 F1 season in Tokyo on Tuesday

Honda has unveiled its new power unit ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which marks a new partnership with Aston Martin for the brand.

The RA626H powertrain will feature on the upcoming AMR26 and was designed according to F1’s new engine regulations, which places greater emphasis on electric energy.

The power unit was unveiled alongside a plain green 2026 F1 show car featuring Honda’s new logo, as attention now turns to the opening pre-season test at Barcelona from 26-30 January.

“We've got nine days of track testing before we get to Melbourne, and it will be a challenge to understand the car,” chief strategy officer Andy Cowell said.

“You're trying to understand both reliability and performance, and typically the opening sessions that we run we'll be checking all the systems. There'll be extra sensors on the car and aero rakes, extra sensors on the power unit, to understand the vehicle in its real environment.

Honda power unit

Photo by: Honda

“We do lots of testing in Sakura and in Silverstone but the real environment is the race track. But then you need to get into understanding the performance of the car, and that's where the feedback from the driver is key as well as what you read from the sensors.

“We will push and we will learn. We've got a plan already devised but we will adapt day by day based on what we learn.”