Alonso-Honda reunion on cards? Memories of daunting F1 past takes over racing world

Heading into the Monaco Grand Prix 2023, the Formula 1 paddock is filled with talks about Japanese manufacturer Honda announcing a full-scale return to the sport. Ahead of the Monaco GP weekend, Aston Martin announced a works partnership with Honda from 2026, which will also witness F1’s next big engine regulation changes. Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of the 2021 season, following a seven-year stint that ended with Red Bull star Max Verstappen winning his maiden drivers’ world championship.

While Honda continues to partner with Red Bull through a power unit support deal that runs until the end of 2025, the pending regulation change for 2026 is what seems to attract Honda back into F1. As the announcement was made, the racing world wondered about the possibility of two-time champion Fernando Alonso driving a Honda engine again. This became a major talking point for the racing world as Alonso witnessed some of his toughest years in F1 when he drove for McLaren from 2015 to 2019.

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Fernando Alonso's troubled association with Honda

Having left Ferrari in 2014, Alonso opted for a move back to McLaren in 2015, hoping to fight for a third world title. However, the Honda engine back then lacked the power to match the front-runners and found it tough to even be called the best of the rest. Fernando Alonso’s disappointing stint with McLaren ended in 2019 after the Spaniard decided to leave the sport.

However, he made a return with Alpine in the 2021 season, before securing a move to Aston Martin for 2023 due to Sebastian Vettel’s sudden retirement announcement in 2022. Since the F1 2023 season started, Aston Martin have found success like never before with the driver who has made the most starts in the sport. Interestingly, Fernando has returned with four podiums in the five races held this year and has looked to be the closest to Red Bull.

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At a time like this, the Japanese manufacturer announcing their return to F1 with Aston Martin also points to the possibility of Honda teaming up with Fernando again. However, it will only be possible if Aston Martin continues with Alonso till 2026. The Spaniard is currently 41 years old and would be approaching 45 by the time Honda teams up with Aston Martin.

What has been said so far?

As reported by The Race, Aston Martin group CEO Martin Whitmarsh insisted Alonso was not discussed during their talks with Honda. “Clearly Fernando is doing a great job and I’m delighted to have him as part of our team as he’s making a great contribution both on and off the track. I spoke to Fernando a while ago about the direction we wanted to go. He’s a very intelligent individual. I’m sure everyone here is referring to some comments that were made in the heat of the battle, which were quite memorable, but he understands and respects what Honda is doing".