Honda recently made their decision to leave Formula 1 by the end of the 2021 season, right before the regulation changes are set to take place. Red Bull are one of the teams that suffered from this decision by Honda. Their star driver, Max Verstappen, however, sees the lighter side of this situation and hopes that he does not end up like the cartoon character, Fred Flintstone.

During the press conference, the interviewer asked about Max’s view of Honda’s exit. Max ended up giving a hilarious response to the question. “I hope I’m not going to end up like Fred Flintstone and pedal the car myself,” Max said.

Fred Flintstone is a fictional character from the world-famous animated show, The Flintstones. During the course of the show, the character can be seen driving an engineless car by using his feet as a pedal to move around.

With that amusing response, Max indirectly mentioned he was hoping not to drive a car without an engine which pretty much would be his team’s situation by the end of 2021 as of now.

“You Could Feel it Coming”: Max Verstappen on Honda’s Exit

Verstappen reveals that he knew Honda would come to this decision sooner or later.

“It came after I signed the deal, but they never committed a lot longer. So you could expect something like this,” Max said. “You’re never sure.”

“That’s the same for teams as well. You sign a deal with them, but who knows what is happening in five years’ time. It is what it is.

“You could feel it coming. I guess the situation in the whole wide world is not helping. Especially, from the beginning of this year onwards, once we finally got started, it’s just not easy.”

Nevertheless, Honda mentioned that a new Power Unit will be given to both their customers for the 2021 season.

Max Believes Honda Will Continue Pushing Till the End

Verstappen is positive that Honda, despite their announcement, will keep pushing forward in terms of performance till the end of 2021. “We just keep on pushing, that’s also what they said. Of course, they are going to pull out, but they are not going to back off now,” Max said.

“We just keep working together because we have a great relationship, so it’s really enjoyable to work with the guys.”

With Honda announcing their exit, the Japanese manufacturers would be hoping to finish their final season with Red Bull and AlphaTauri in Formula 1 on a high note.