Honda says frosty relationship with Fernando Alonso won't impact Aston Martin deal

As the Aston Martin-Honda tie-up talks begin to settle, one of the more pertinent questions that need answering is that of Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard and Honda do not have the best relationship, with their time together during the McLaren-Honda days still lingering fresh in the minds of everyone who saw the team's fall from grace.

However, it wasn't Honda's fault McLaren fast-tracked their F1 entry to 2015 instead of 2016, and what transpired was an unsuccessful spell that led to more heartache and disappointment than either McLaren or Honda could have foreseen.

The situation wasn't helped by Alonso comparing the engine to those used in Formula 2, F1's feeder series.

But now, with Alonso at Aston Martin and Honda linking with the team in 2026, we can't help but wonder just what Honda thinks of it.

Alonso is the #1 choice

During the announcement procedure of Aston Martin and Honda joining forces in 2026, the group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, Martin Whitmarsh, commented on Alonso's involvement.

And it was necessary because Alonso will be 44 when the 2026 season commences, turning 45 in July of that year. Though he is good now, will he be good enough then?

READ: Self-inflicted damage and the need to step out birthed Honda, Aston Martin's merger

According to Whitmarsh, Alonso is the preferred choice, saying: "Probably 2026, who knows, it's probably outside his planning horizon, at the moment. We've got to give him a car that is consistently capable of winning races.

"We'll have a discussion before 2026, I'm sure, about where Fernando's future lies. I hope he'll be around for a number of years, and it would be great if he's as fit and competitive as he's today. Then it would be fantastic to have him in the car