Honda chief Watanabe says when future in F1 will be clear

Koji Watanabe the president of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) said that there were no plans at Honda to return to Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer. Watanabe now adds that he does not rule out a return in the future.

The talk of a Honda return goes in two different directions. Watanabe said that there would be no Honda return, while the week before he said that in the long term a return was quite conceivable. The conclusion was that Honda is not working on it at the moment, but that there could be talks next year about a return in 2026. In that year the engine regulations will be changed and there will be an equal start for all engine builders who are interested.

Exciting month for Honda's future in F1

To As-web.jp the HRC president now says: "I never rule out a return to Formula One. I will keep a close eye on F1 from now on. It is possible that we will return if certain conditions are met." With this story, Honda seems to be following the same line of thinking as the Volkswagen brands Porsche and Audi. The car brands make the possible cooperation with existing F1 teams dependent on the final agreement on the engines. Volkswagen is mainly looking for sustainable consumption and development of the engines in these talks. Honda may be looking for such conditions. Watanabe: "We are not in a position to speculate about other carmakers, but it is great for F1 to participate with many rivals."

Honda is expected to continue working behind the scenes at the Red Bull Powertrains through to 2025. They also fulfil the role of sponsor, says the Japanese. The only thing is that there seems to be no contract between Honda and Red Bull for the next three years. Should Honda extend its cooperation with Red Bull, the chance seems greater that they will also go along with the new engine regulations in 2026. According to Watanabe, it is especially difficult and expensive to have to start from scratch every time. On next year's contract, the Japanese man says: "I think it will come soon. In one month I think we can decide what we will do in the future. So we will tell that by then."