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Honda’s relationship with Formula 1 in recent years can be described as, to say the least, strange. The legendary Japanese brand returned to the World Cup in 2015, hand in hand with the team McLaren, seeking the glory that both achieved in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where they marked authentic hegemony at the hands of legends of the Great Circus, such as Ayrton Senna y Alain Prost. However, the return had nothing to do in terms of results, and Honda’s situation has been unclear since then.
A march with a title under his arm
In addition to its abrupt start, with a car far below expectations, the relationship between the Japanese and the Woking team did not favor a symbiosis of mutual development even in its last years. Distrust and negative points were too important, which led to the union breaking up in the 2018 season. While McLaren decided to go with Renault, Honda replaced the French as the motorist of Red Bull. A movement that has borne fruit, perhaps to the surprise of the Japanese company itself.
And it is clear that Honda has been able to grow its power unit definitely on the energy drink team. Since 2019, they have taken very important steps in the right direction, so much so that, according to some analyses, the Honda engine has ended up being the one that delivers the most horsepower on the grid, even ahead of the almighty Mercedes.
The brand of the golden wing has finished, therefore, achieving its objective. But maybe, too late. In Japan they had already decided their exit from Formula 1 before reaching full synergy with Red Bull, as happened in 2021. The paradox of Honda has wanted them to leave the World Championship after motorizing the car that has been world champion at the hands of Max Verstappen, a circumstance that has raised doubts.
That is why Honda has had to go back on numerous occasions. First, ceding the engine patent to the team led by Christian Horner so they can use it for years to come. Then deciding support with personnel and technical and mechanical instructions to the new engine plant of the Austrian team, Red Bull Powertrains. Finally, admitting that this close and unexpected collaboration can be extended until 2025, the last year with this engine regulation. And all this while Honda has its sights set on the new regulations, participating in the talks for 2026.
An obvious question arises, with an almost equally clear answer: are Honda regretting leaving Formula 1 too soon? It is not necessary or speculate. For the head of the project, Masashi Yamamoto, yes, It was a very hasty decision, as he commented for the magazine ‘Autosport’.
These have been his words: “Personally yes, I agree (in which Honda leaves too soon). But this is obviously a company decision and I understand where they want to go, so in the end we have to accept that. But we always have the imagination, so we hope that one day Honda will return to F1”, he said, leaving the door open to that return that seems clear.
“Of course it’s sad, but we’ve known this since October 2020 and therefore we knew we had to push in 2021. We carried out a different mentality and we looked at the decision in another way, we tried to give everything to perform in the time that we still had left. We focused on winning the championship in our last year, and now I think we have completed our work in Formula 1. We have met our goal, even within the timeframe we set for ourselves. First of all, we partnered with Toro Rosso and a year later with Red Bull. Our goal and theirs too was to win the championship in three years. That happened in 2021so it’s a great story”, he continued.
Finally, he commented on the aid agreement with Red Bull for its new motor plant and engine development for 2022: “They will be Red Bull Powertrains, and we will support them to put in good performances with AlphaTauri and Red Bull. It will be a different relationship, for sure. It’s a challenge, but it’s also true that they want to be a stronger and even more integrated team by having everything at home. As Honda, we want to support them as much as possible with our resources. for this project to be a success“, It is finished.
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