Alonso: "When Max won, I was the first to congratulate him"

Fernando Alonso looked with admiration at the performance of Honda last year. The Japanese engine supplier finally managed to develop a competitive engine in 2021 with which Max Verstappen could fight for the world title. According to Alonso, Honda has done a good job, he told Formula1.co.uk.

Alonso drove a Honda engine for several seasons years ago. This did not yield many successes, as the engine proved too slow to fight for the front positions. Honda then decided to leave McLaren and entered into a partnership with Red Bull Racing. That did turn out to be the formula for success. Alonso has a lot of respect for the way Honda fought back.

"When they left McLaren they weren't at the point where they could dream of the Formula One championship, but they did well," says Alonso, who was happy for Honda chief Masashi Yamamoto. "When Max won, I was the first to congratulate him. I'm happy for them. It's a pity they are leaving now, but hopefully they will come back."

In the coming years, the Austrian racing team intends to take control of engine development itself under the name 'Red Bull Powertrains'. In 2022, however, this department will still receive help from Honda, which offers knowledge to give Verstappen a good car with which he can win the world championship again.