What in 2015 seemed like a utopia for Honda, in an alliance to be forgotten with McLaren, has ended up becoming a reality with the title of Max Verstappen thanks to a Honda engine that has improved by leaps and bounds.
Since Cosworth left Formula 1 at the end of the 2013 season, the premier category of motorsport has depended on Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes as motorists to feed their single-seaters, with the high costs of entering the ‘Great Circus’ as the biggest setback put forward by the various stakeholders in recent years.
The arrival of Sling in 2015 at the hands of McLaren after its last journey in the sport between 2000 and 2008 was going to be a breath of fresh air for both fans and undecided teams in search of a power unit supplier, but the Japanese began on the wrong foot
An initial season plagued with mechanical breakdowns and abandonments damaged their image on their return, doomed to fail and leave Formula 1 for good by failing to raise their heads for the next two years, but Red Bull took a gamble on them, initially with the renowned Toro Rosso, before giving them a real shot in 2019.
Two pole positions and eleven podiums in that year, three of the latter as victories for Max Verstappen, established the start of an alliance that has led to Red Bull’s first title with the Japanese since Lewis Hamilton began his hegemony back in 2014.
hasty goodbye
Now that they have achieved what they longed for on their return with McLaren, Honda gives up its engines to Red Bull to step aside. Too soon? «I personally think so, but obviously it is a decision of the company and I understand which way they want to go, so in the end we have to accept it, “confessed Masashi Yamamoto, Honda boss.
“We always have the imagination, we hope that one day Honda will return to Formula 1», added the Japanese leader, assuring to experience «more satisfaction than relief» with the achievement of the title thanks to Verstappen.
“Of course it’s sad, but we already knew that since October 2020, and therefore we knew that we had to push in 2021. We developed a different mentality and looked at the decision in a different way, we tried to give everything to perform in the time that we still had left, “continued Yamamoto .
“We focused on winning the championship in our final year, and now I think we have completed our job in Formula 1. We have met our target, even within the timeframes we had set for ourselves. We first partnered with Toro Rosso, and a year later Red Bull came along. Our objective, and also theirs, was to win the championship in three years. That’s exactly what happened in 2021, so it’s a great story, especially as we put a lot of effort into this.”
“We will support them to get good benefits, but yes, it will certainly be a different relationship”
“Will be Red Bull Powertrains, and we will support them to get good performances with AlphaTauri and Red Bull, but yes, it will definitely be a different relationship. It is a challenge, but it is also true that they want to be a stronger and even more integrated team by having everything within the company. As Honda we want to support them as much as we can with our resources so that this project is successful”, concluded Yamamoto.