Honda reveals out of the ordinary 2026 F1 engine launch

Honda has taken an unusual step by announcing a launch event for its F1 2026 engine.

The Japanese manufacturer’s power unit for the 2026 season will be unveiled at an event in central Tokyo on 20 January.

Honda are exclusively partnering with Aston Martin for F1’s rules reset next season.

Toshihiro Mibe, Honda president and CEO, Aston Martin’s executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, and F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicalli have been confirmed as guest speakers.

The event will be live-streamed on YouTube in both English and Japanese.

While F1 team and car launches have become commonplace in the world championship, an event dedicated to an engine manufacturer is out of the ordinary.

Aston Martin’s AMR26 - the team’s first designed by Adrian Newey - will be revealed on 9 February.

Honda recently teased the sound of its F1 2026 engine. 

Aston Martin, Honda ‘on the eve of something special’

There is great excitement and anticipation surrounding Honda’s new F1 era and tie up with Aston Martin.

“I'm confident we’re going to deal well with these challenges,” Honda president Koji Watanabe told Aston Martin’s official website.

“Honda has been accumulating experience in F1 since 1964, and we’re confident that, working together with Aston Martin Aramco as one team, we can be very competitive in F1’s new era.”

Watanabe added: “Definition of success... for me, 2026 is a year to ensure the partnership we have created between Aston Martin Aramco and Honda is functioning as planned, as one integrated team. We need to ensure we have the values we have aimed for and that we achieve our performance goals.

“The thing we can't predict, and is beyond our control, is the status of our competitors. Before we know that, we can't talk about anything beyond meeting our own internal goals for the season. Of course, in the longer term, the ultimate goal of this partnership, and our definition of success, is winning the World Championship.

“It's very important to take a long-term view of this. Our relationship with Aston Martin Aramco is going beyond a technical collaboration – we are sharing a common vision. There is a lot of passion in the team at the AMR Technology Campus, but also a great deal of quality. Pair that with Honda’s development skills and ability to provide winning power units, and we have the potential to be successful in F1, not just in 2026, but also '27, '28 and beyond.

“We are on the eve of something very special.”