Honda returned to the top flight in 2015 as an engine manufacturer in a tie-up with McLaren, but its start was disastrous. The power units were unreliable, underperforming, plus they had to be designed to fit the tight packing of the Woking car.
The association turned out to be a great embarrassment for the proud Japanese company, with phrases such as Fernando Alonso in Honda’s own house, in Suzuka, where he described the engine as a ” GP2 ” one, and that did not help improve the relationship. The lack of results over three years meant that McLaren and Honda finally decided to part ways in the fall of 2017.
AlphaTauri – then Toro Rosso – surprisingly lined up Honda for the 2018 season, with Red Bull following suit the following year. Honda became much better attuned to the energy drink family, to the point that Sakura power units were able to compete with the leading Mercedes engines after development over the past winter.
That allowed Verstappen to challenge Lewis Hamilton and Brackley’s for the title. Although Red Bull and Honda had to cede the constructors’ championship to Mercedes, the Japanese brand believes that the Dutch driver’s first world crown is the reward for believing in his own technology, despite setbacks.
“For Max to win the title is a great achievement for us, as we have been in this sport since 2015 and we have been through a very difficult period of seven years, improving gradually,” said Tanabe.
“Last season we were quite a long way from Mercedes, but I am very happy that we have come this far this year, with drivers and Red Bull fighting for the championship.”
“Unfortunately we didn’t win the constructors’ title, but I think the reason we’ve come this far is because we believed in our technology and were determined to do what we had to do to win.”
“We have worked tirelessly to develop our components to win. We have the support of our operations group, our travel group and our families to help us get there.”
“I was talking to the guys from Sakura earlier, and I think in the end there’s a sense of accomplishment that Max has won the championship.”
The 2021 race in Abu Dhabi was Honda’s last race as engine supplier, as Red Bull will take over the power unit program at its Milton Keynes headquarters after the Japanese marque decided to leave F1.
Asked why Honda managed to overcome early problems and deliver a winning engine with Red Bull for its Formula 1 farewell, Tanabe said mutual understanding between the two companies was key in the development of the power units.
“We have worked with McLaren since 2015 and we had problems with them. Then in 2018 we joined Toro Rosso and we did it with an open mind, which led us to a contract with Red Bull, who are demanding,” explained the Japanese manager. .
“I think we understood each other with the team, with the drivers and what we had to do to get the best result, everything went well. It’s a great moment for us.”
“I think that working together as a company and as a group was what was important in the process. We come to the circuit to win every race, with the support of Sakura and Milton Keynes,” he concluded.
