Toto Wolff has revealed why Aston Martin ended its Formula 1 alliance with Mercedes for its already beleaguered Honda deal in 2026.
Mercedes has started the new 2026 regulations in dominant fashion, taking consecutive one-two finishes in the first two rounds of the championship.
Its power unit looks to be the class of the field, designed in conjunction with the strong W17 chassis, with drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli exuding confidence.
Whilst the Silver Arrows still supply McLaren and Williams, Aston Martin has entered into an already maligned relationship with Honda, with Alpine replacing its supply.
The partnership has been nothing short of a disaster, as the Japanese manufacturer has created a power unit raft with reliability woes, and risks driver health due to extreme vibrations.
Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey was asked in Australia if he would have preferred to remain with Mercedes, giving a pragmatic response.
“I think we are where we are with Honda. Obviously, our focus now is to work with Honda to get to the best possible place,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“Being realistic, this season is first of all, getting on top of this vibration problem so we can run reliably, and from there to see how much performance they can add to the combustion engine in particular.
“Then at the same time, of course, Honda needs to start working on the ’27 engine because it’s clear that a very large step in combustion engine power is needed for ’27, and that has to be their sole focus.”
Wolff reveals cause of Aston Martin Mercedes divorce
Wolff has now confirmed the reason why Mercedes divorced from Aston Martin, revealing that the decision to separate was not taken by the Silver Arrows
“Aston Martin was a client and a partner of Mercedes over those many years, and we still deliver engines and other components to the road car side, so that wasn’t a Mercedes decision to not go with Aston Martin,” Wolff said in Australia.
“I think it was a conscious decision to become a works team, with Honda, with their partner Aramco, and that’s why we had to let them go.”
The divorce from Aston Martin has worked out splendidly for Mercedes, as it has replaced its customer engine supply to Alpine, who it looks to forge a closer relationship with.
By comparison, Honda is now in dire straits, and the question inevitably bieng asked is: how fast would the AMR26 be with a Mercedes power unit in the back? Rivals, fans and Aston Martin itself will never know.
READ MORE: What Mercedes bid for Alpine stake could mean for its F1 PU customer relations
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