Honda stepped down as official engine manufacturer when its deal with Red Bull ended at the end of 2021, although it continued to make engines for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri under the Honda Racing name.

But after F1 pushed for a more sustainable future of engine regulations, the Japanese giant changed its mind, announcing a working partner with Aston Martin from 2026, with increased electrification and a switch to sustainable fuels drawing Honda back to power. join in.

According to HRC chief Koji Watanabe, Honda’s soft exit from F1 has softened the blow of lost months of development time compared to engine makers who have committed to the new regulation cycle from the start.

“I would like to mention that we have been supplying engines for the current F1 at the request of Red Bull, so we are still supplying engines for the ongoing F1 race,” Watanabe said when asked if he had confidence in Honda. It will be at the same level as its competitors by 2026.

“With regard to the new regulations coming out in 2026, we have been continuously studying important factors in terms of power units. We have therefore not completely withdrawn from our research and development activities.

“Unlike the last time we pulled out completely, we’re already doing development.”

The situation is very different for Honda than it was when it last entered F1 in 2015, a year into the turbo-hybrid era as partner of McLaren.

Initially, it struggled to gain power and reliability from its powerplant, taking on the complex MGU-H system, which will now be dismantled in 2026.

Honda Racing CEO Koji Watanabe

Photo: Motorsport.com / Japan

Watanabe explained that after Honda officially withdrew from F1, its developers were transferred to non-motorsport-related departments to investigate the “carbon neutral project”.

But under the HRC name, which also appears on Red Bull’s F1 cars, it did a case study of F1’s new engine direction, which eventually led to its decision to rejoin as a full-fledged manufacturer.

He believes that Honda has thus gained a firm foothold in the market and will not lose too much advantage over competitors.

“We’re not fully engaged until March 2022 to measure the development of the power unit,” he added. “So, we have the full staff remaining.

“However, they were then assigned to different carbon-neutral projects. As a result, from April 2022, the number of development members started to decrease.

“In April 2022, a new company called Honda Racing Corporation was established, a company specializing in motorsports. The company continued research and development of four-wheel technology, and we started working on new regulations.

“So we don’t think we have much to lose, regardless of our withdrawal from F1 at this point.”

Additional reporting by Jonathan Noble and Adam Cooper