@HondaRacingF1 to pull out of #F1 at the end of 2021 season.

Honda have made the shock announcement that they would be quitting F1 at the end of the 2021 season leaving Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri to search for a new power-unit supplier.

The Japanese manufacturer returned to Formula 1 in 2015 with McLaren, having been impressed by the new 1.6L V6 Turbocharged Hybrid power-trains with it’s energy recovery technology.

This lead to a difficult and unsuccessful partnership, forcing the Woking-based outfit to split and Honda aligned with Scuderia Toro Rosso for 2018, before taking on Red Bull Racing as it’s works team for the following campaign.

Across the two squads, they have claimed five Grand Prix victories in their two-and-a-half year spell with the Red Bull clan.

However, Honda have opted not to continue beyond their current deal with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri, which exists until the end of the 2021 season.

Honda stated the decision was made as the “automobile industry undergoes a one-hundred year period of great transformation” and was able to achieve it’s goal of scoring victories.

The Japanese manufacturer’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The rest of Honda’s statement read:

“Toward this end, Honda needs to funnel its corporate resources in research and development into the areas of future power unit and energy technologies, including fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies, which will be the core of carbon-free technologies. As a part of this move, in April of this year, Honda created a new center called Innovative Research Excellence, Power Unit & Energy. Honda will allocate its energy management and fuel technologies as well as knowledge amassed through F1 activities to this area of power unit and energy technologies and take initiatives while focusing on the future realization of carbon neutrality.  Toward this end, Honda made the decision to conclude its participation in F1.

 

Motorsports activities are in Honda’s DNA, and therefore Honda will continue to be passionate about taking on challenges and striving to become No. 1 in all categories of racing in which Honda participates.

 

In F1, in order to fulfill the expectations of its fans, Honda will work together with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri to continue competing with its utmost effort and strive for more victories all the way to the end of the 2021 season.

 

With its “challenging spirit” cultivated through motorsports activities, Honda will take on the new challenge of the future realization of carbon neutrality.

 

Honda will appreciate the continuous understanding and support for its motorsports activities and for the new challenge of Honda.” Credit to Honda for the statement. You can read the full statement at the link: https://en.hondaracingf1.com/insights/Honda_to_conclude_F1_participation.html

The decision leaves the sport with just three power-train suppliers – Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault. Under the current rules and regulations, Renault would be obliged to give Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri engines due to the French manufacturer currently having the fewest customers on the grid, unless the teams can persuade Ferrari or Mercedes to give them a power-unit supply.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner added:

“As a Team we understand how difficult it has been for Honda Motor Company to reach the decision to step back from Formula One at the end of the 2021 season. The shifting focus within the automotive industry has led to Honda’s decision to re-deploy their resources and we understand and respect the reasoning behind this. Their decision presents obvious challenges for us as a Team but we have been here before and with our strength in depth we are well prepared and equipped to respond effectively, as we have proven in the past.”

“Whilst we are disappointed not to continue our partnership with Honda, we are enormously proud of our joint success, delivering five wins and 15 podiums for both Red Bull owned teams and we thank everyone at Honda for their extraordinary efforts and commitment.”

“Our joint focus for the remainder of the 2020 and 2021 seasons are unchanged, to fight for victories and challenge for the championship. As a signatory to Formula One’s latest Concorde Agreement, Red Bull Racing remains committed to the sport in the long term and we look forward to embarking on a new era of innovation, development and success. As a group, we will now take the time afforded to us to further evaluate and find the most competitive power unit solution for 2022 and beyond.” Credit to Red Bull Racing for the quote. https://www.redbull.com/int-en/redbullracing/honda-to-withdraw-f1-2021

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost also said:

“Scuderia AlphaTauri and Honda have built up a very good and professional relationship since we started to cooperate in 2018. We enjoyed great success together in the last few years, winning a race and finishing on the podium twice, with one second and one third place. It’s unfortunate that Honda has decided to stop their commitment in Formula One, because their Power Unit’s performance has been improving constantly and dramatically to become one of the best engines on the grid in a short period of time, since they returned to the sport. I’m convinced that together we will continue to achieve strong results in the remaining races this season and next year.”

 

“We certainly respect the reason behind Honda’s decision to focus on environmental initiatives and to strive for the realization of carbon neutrality, everybody at Scuderia AlphaTauri wish them well in reaching all their goals and to have a successful future ahead.  We sincerely want to thank Honda for the fruitful cooperation, we really enjoyed every day we’ve been working together. It won’t be easy to find an engine partner like Honda but, of course, we will start looking at all possibilities to find the best Power Unit solution from 2022 onwards.” Credit to Scuderia AlphaTauri for the quote: https://www.scuderiaalphatauri.com/en/honda-withdraws-f1/

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