The 2021 season proved to be memorable not only for Red Bull as they secured the World Drivers' Championship but also for Honda as an engine manufacturer who last won the title 30 years ago in 1991. While Honda has officially left F1 on a high, Masashi Yamamoto the motorsports boss for the Japanese manufacturer expressed optimism and expects that they will return to the racing series in the future.

Yamamoto spoke to F1.com and discussed Honda’s possible return to F1 in the future.      

 “Personally I hope and expect Honda will come back to Formula 1, it depends on young people in Honda being passionate about motorsport and if they can convince senior management to come back. But history repeats, so I hope it can happen,” he said.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19 over the past two years, Honda made significant strides especially in  2021 as Red Bull were able to fully challenge the dominant Mercedes team. Yamamoto credits the hard work of all the engineers and mechanics as the driving force behind Red Bull and Alpha Tauri’s success over the years.  

“Even while having to deal with logistical difficulties, partly down to the Covid-19 pandemic, in this our last season, we have been fighting with very strong rivals and we came out on top of the Formula 1 world,” stated Yamamoto.

“This is due to all the hard work from all our engineers and mechanics, not just those at the racetrack. They never gave up, even in the most difficult times, and made numerous technological breakthroughs along the way.

“We were able to prove the validity and effectiveness of our technology and the abilities of our workforce. Of course, we could not have achieved these results without the major role played by our great partners, Red Bull Racing with whom we won the title and also Scuderia AlphaTauri, who welcomed us with an open mind, allowing us to move forward together after a difficult three years.

Honda bounced back and redeemed themselves after their challenging years with McLaren from 2015 to 2017 with 16 race wins for Red Bull and one for its sister team Alpha Tauri. However, despite their turbulent times with McLaren, Yamamoto praised the drivers who worked diligently with Honda and helped bring back a new era for the Japanese manufacturer. 

“We should not forget McLaren, with whom this era started back in 2015 and all the drivers who have worked with us, always putting maximum effort into achieving the best possible results. 

“We can say this project has been a success as we leave the sport having helped Max Verstappen win the Drivers’ World Championship.”

Although Honda will no longer remain in F1 as an official engine supplier, both Red Bull and Alpha Tauri will use power units from the Japanese manufacturer for the 2022 season. The project known as Red Bull Powertrains will also keep many of F1 Honda’s staff on board as well.