Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it will re-enter the prestigious Formula One World Championship in 2026 through a partnership with British automaker Aston Martin's F1 team.
The Japanese company will supply power units, which include engines, to Aston Martin. It said it hopes the know-how it acquires through its involvement will help bolster development of electric vehicles and other mobility products.
The announcement came after Honda pulled out of the sport in 2021 to focus on developing next-generation greener technologies.
Speaking at a press conference, Honda President Toshihiro Mibe said the company decided to re-enter F1 because of a change in regulations in 2026 that will require vehicles' power units to generate equal output from motors and engines.
Current regulations say motors should only account for about 20 percent of output power.
"F1 became an environmentally sustainable event that matches the direction of Honda's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality," Mibe said.
"The key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery," he said. "We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production" of EVs and flying cars.
Honda initially took part in F1 between 1964 and 1968, becoming the first Japanese automaker to do so. It returned in 1983 and dominated the championship with 15 wins in 16 races in 1988 with legendary drivers Ayrton Senna of Brazil and Alain Prost of France.
Honda halted its participation again in 1992 but resumed it in 2000 and continued until 2008. It rejoined the championship in 2015 before it pulled out again in 2021.
