With Honda now confirmed at Aston Martin, seven teams either have an internal supply or a works partner, counting both RBR and AlphaTauri as recipients of the Ford-backed unit being developed by Red Bull Powertrains. There are no works deals left for McLaren, Williams or Haas to take.
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack cautioned recently that a works partner would be crucial in 2026 as the complexity of the PU package means that it will be essential that there is full integration with the chassis side.
But Stella maintains he’s not worried about McLaren being a customer as long as it can have a close relationship with a supplier.
The team is currently free to shop around for the best package and is not committed to being a Mercedes customer.
“You definitely have to monitor that in making deals for 2026. That as a chassis manufacturer, like McLaren, you have enough room for influencing the power unit design, so that you are not left behind from a competitiveness point of view,” he said when asked by Autosport about the issue.
“This is what we are doing in our conversations. We know what we want to achieve. To be honest, this doesn't seem to be difficult in the conversations we are having."
Stella stressed that these days customer engine deals have run in the same way as those of works teams, and suggested that any loss of performance due to lack of integration can be made up with a better-performing car.
Source: Autosport