Heavily Criticised Honda Finds Redemption In The Right Hands of Red Bull & Max Verstappen at Japanese GP

The curious case of Honda’s rise to the pinnacle of F1 has been nothing short of a miracle. At the same track where 2-time world champion, Fernando Alonso tore them to pieces, Max Verstappen in his RB-18 won his second title. Their engine supplier, as some might easily guess- Honda.

It was a dream day for everybody associated with Red Bull Racing on Sunday. Max Verstappen won the World Championship for the second time. Moreover, Sergio Perez finished P2 after Charles Leclerc was handed a 5-second penalty. This meant the RBR team had finished in a 1-2 position in Honda’s home race, their 5th of the season.

However, if you turn back time to 2015 when Honda was McLaren’s engine provider, Fernando Alonso left no stone unturned as he criticized the Japanese company’s engine during the race. Alonso said, “It feels like GP2. Embarrassing. Very embarrassing,” to his race engineer.

But Honda did not give up so easily. They worked harder than anybody to reach where they are today. Without them, it’s hard to think of Red Bull achieving such great heights. Their rise back to the top is a miraculous story – one of patience, hard work, and determination.

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Since then, Honda has helped Verstappen win 2 consecutive championships. Furthermore, Honda-powered Red Bull is on the verge of ending Mercedes’ 8-year dominance as they edge closer to the constructor’s championship.

Honda not giving up on F1 return in 2026

After their shocking announcement to leave F1, Honda is considering a return to the sport sooner than expected. Honda’s principal reason for withdrawing from the sport was to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire organization.

However, with F1 targeting to be Net Zero by 2030 and planning to introduce sustainable fuels in 2026, Honda will be carefully monitoring the regulations.

HRC President Watanabe said, “Formula 1 is the top motorsports category, so we are always watching what is happening in the F1 world.”

He also added, “It is not a closed door [to F1]. My understanding is that F1 is discussing to decide the regulations for 2026, and definitely the direction is carbon neutrality. That is the same direction as us. It is probably also a good opportunity to study carbon neutrality to F1, so it’s not a closed door.”

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Honda’s heroics is an inspiration to other engine manufacturers looking to enter the world of F1. They’ve turned the sport upside down and ended the supreme dominance of Mercedes. Do you feel Honda should return to F1?