Honda: 'Hamilton has been lucky a few times and this was one of them'

Max Verstappen's world title means Honda have ended its time in Formula 1 on a high. The Japanese engine manufacturer will not be completely absent from the sport next year, however, as Red Bull Racing will continue to count on them to support the development of its own engine project: Red Bull Powertrains. Masashi Yamamoto, General Manager of Honda, looks back on an exciting last season in the premier class of motor racing for the engine supplier.

The first race weekend of the year in Bahrain showed that Red Bull had a very competitive car, something that surprised friend and foe alike. Verstappen was immediately competing with Lewis Hamilton for the win in that race, but after his overtaking manoeuvre, he had to give the spot back due to exceeding track limits. It was a controversial decision, as Hamilton was found to have committed the same infraction throughout most of the race, although none of them came while battling for position.

Honda saw Hamilton often get lucky

The Mercedes driver was not penalised for this, however, and so took his first win of the season. It wasn't to dampen the fun at Red Bull and Honda though, as Verstappen's strong race exceeded all expectations. "By then we knew we were fast enough, so we finished the first race with the feeling that there was a whole season to look forward to," Yamamoto told Japanese Autosportweb.

Next, Yamamoto saw the would-be world champion drive a perfect race in Imola, but at the same time he saw Hamilton get away with a costly mistake very well. "Lewis made a mistake, went off the track and lost a lot of time. However, the red flag allowed his car to be repaired and he was able to restart in the same lap. Lewis has been lucky a few times this season and this was one of them," the Honda chief observed.