Jenson Button believes Honda can make Aston Martin a top-four contender. Honda’s comeback is inevitable, says Button: “Only they can break into the top 4”.

Honda still struggling

Just as in 2015, Honda has again found itself unprepared for the technical revolution in Formula 1 and the introduction of the new power units. The Japanese engine supplier is paying a significant performance and reliability deficit compared to the competition. While McLaren suffered in 2015, this year it is Aston Martin that bears the brunt of the underwhelming partnership with the Tokyo-based giant.

The relationship between the two parties has not been free from tension, with mutual accusations and finger-pointing. Attempting to calm things down has been the team’s brand ambassador, Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion. Button knows Honda’s working style intimately, having worked with the Japanese manufacturer extensively in both Formula 1 and SuperGT, experiencing both highs and lows. He and Fernando Alonso were both behind the wheel of the McLaren during the disastrous 2015-2016 seasons. Now, with one still racing and the other in a brand ambassador role, they are reliving familiar challenges and frustrations.

Button’s confidence in Honda

In an interview with the Spanish website AS, Button said he is “100% certain” that Honda will return to competitiveness and support Aston Martin in climbing toward the top of Formula 1: “Everyone involved [in the team] understands where we are as a team,” Button observed. “They know the foundations are solid and that we will be competitive. This is a very demanding sport. Mercedes and Ferrari have been at the top for a long time, always with the same engine. The partnership between Aston Martin and Honda is very recent, as is the one with Adrian Newey. There are many elements that need to come together, and that doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Everyone is aware of what this team can achieve in the future. This is the only team that can break into the top four in the future. It is as simple as that.”

“It’s difficult to talk about timelines,” the former British driver continued. “I’m not the right person to answer that. I don’t know the details. It won’t happen in three races, but time flies. In the end, it will feel like it all happened overnight. Is failure possible? No. I am 100% sure of that. It’s only a matter of time. Honda always manages it. Always.”

Jenson Button’s endorsement of the Aston Martin-Honda alliance shows that championship-winning projects often face significant growing pains. By highlighting the stability of Mercedes and Ferrari as the benchmark, Jenson Button suggests that the current struggle is merely a phase of integration for a team that has recently acquired massive technical assets like Adrian Newey. While the 2026 season has started in the shadows, the belief within the Silverstone camp is that Honda’s track record of eventually reaching the summit makes their success an inevitability rather than a possibility.