Why Honda boss won't rule out F1 comeback for engine supplier

After seven years, Honda bowed out of the sport which ended with a title triumph as Max Verstappen dramatically secured the drivers’ championship in Abu Dhabi.

Honda announced midway through the 2020 season that it would be exiting F1 to focus on ‘sustainable automotive technologies and a commitment towards carbon neutrality’.

It will remain involved in F1 as Red Bull and AlphaTauri will continue to run Honda power units for 2022.

Red Bull will take over Honda’s intellectual property as Red Bull Powertrains to oversee the project into the future.

Yamamoto thinks Honda will make a return if the ‘young people in Honda are passionate about motorsport’.

“Personally I hope and expect Honda will come back to F1,” Yamamoto said in an interview with F1.com “It depends on young people in Honda being passionate about motorsport and if they can convince senior management to come back. But history repeats, so I hope it can happen.”

It’s been a remarkable upward trajectory for Honda in recent years after its struggles with McLaren in 2015 to 2017.

The Honda package is widely regarded to be a close match to Mercedes - a significant reason why Verstappen was able to topple Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

“Even while having to deal with logistical difficulties, partly down to the Covid-19 pandemic, in this our last season, we have been fighting with very strong rivals and we came out on top of the Formula 1 world,” he added.

“This is due to all the hard work from all our engineers and mechanics, not just those at the racetrack. They never gave up, even in the most difficult times, and made numerous technological breakthroughs along the way.

“We were able to prove the validity and effectiveness of our technology and the abilities of our workforce. Of course, we could not have achieved these results without the major role played by our great partners, Red Bull Racing with whom we won the title and also Scuderia AlphaTauri, who welcomed us with an open mind, allowing us to move forward together after a difficult three years.

“We should not forget McLaren, with whom this era started back in 2015 and all the drivers who have worked with us, always putting maximum effort into achieving the best possible results.

“We can say this project has been a success as we leave the sport having helped Max Verstappen win the drivers’ world championship.”