Honda anticipates that its collaboration with Adrian Newey at Aston Martin may not always be smooth sailing. The Japanese engine supplier will be working with the British racing team from 2026, when Newey also begins his new role at Aston Martin. Based on their previous collaboration at Red Bull, Honda believes that conflicts will arise.
Aston Martin announced in early September that master designer Adrian Newey is joining from Red Bull. The Brit will be reunited with Honda, who will be supplying engines to Aston Martin from 2026. Honda previously supplied engines to Red Bull from 2019.
The Japanese supplier is thus familiar with Newey, and therefore ‘prepared for some conflicts’ with the Brit on how the Formula 1 regulations for 2026 can best be approached. “I have worked with Newey before and he has an incredible passion for building fast cars,” said Honda President Koji Watanabe, speaking to Motorsport.com.
“Although we build the engine and they build the car’s chassis, there are times when our visions do not always align,” the Japanese executive predicts. Watanabe bases his prediction on the previous collaboration with Newey at Red Bull. “In such cases, there are conflicts between what the chassis team wants and what the engine team wants, but together we managed to build the best car in the world.”
Similar Challenges Expected at Aston
Despite both Honda and Newey working in a new environment in 2026, the Japanese Honda president expects similar disagreements. “Now that Newey is working at Aston Martin, I expect similar challenges to arise. But I hope this will lead to the Aston Martin Honda team becoming the best in the world. We are prepared for a number of conflicts. Of course, it’s not just with Newey,” the Japanese executive concludes.
