Withdrawal agreement
‘We are working on another spec for 2021, which we are confident can produce a notable percentage improvement in performance’
Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda Formula 1 technical director
As Formula 1 settles into the final third of the 2020 season, it does so in the knowledge that power unit supplier, Honda, will conclude its participation in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the end of the 2021 season.
The Japanese firm returned to the series in 2015 after a seven-year hiatus, before which it was a full works constructor. Its first few seasons of the current stint as a power unit supplier under F1’s 1.6-litre V6, turbo-hybrid regulations were a struggle as the manufacturer caught up to the other engine suppliers who had several more years of development under their belts at that stage.
After partnering with McLaren for the first two seasons, Honda started supplying Red Bull Technology group team, Toro Rosso, in 2018 and added Red Bull Racing the following year. The 2019 season was a breakthrough for Honda power, with the Austrian round seeing Max Verstappen giving Honda its first race win of the hybrid era in the Red Bull RB15 powered by Honda’s RA619H. Verstappen won again in Germany a month later and in Brazil, the penultimate race of the 2019 season.
The four Honda-powered cars on the grid that season (two Red Bull Racing RB15s and two Toro Rosso STR14s) amassed a total of 10 podium finishes, establishing Honda as ready to fight with the best. Moreover, at time of writing in October 2020, Honda, together with Red Bull Racing and
