Honda’s Current State in Formula 1 – The Future is Bright
Red Bull and Honda show no signs of slowing down for the upcoming 2020 championship.
Honda has had a long notable past in Formula 1. Only a few years after the iconic Japanese brand started producing cars, they procured their first effort for the 1964 Formula 1 season. Their RA271 race car was a shock on the European-only grid as it was the only car to feature a 1.5 liter V12 engine. It is almost crazy to imagine that Honda was building V12 engines for racing back in the 1960s, but it simply goes to show that this company has heritage within motorsport. Since then, Honda has had many decades of on and off with the sport, but has also seen great success. They’ve won six constructor’s championships as an engine supplier, two with Williams and four with McLaren.
However, if we fast-forward to the present, the Japanese powerhouse is still in business and stronger than ever, according to an article by F1i. Since 2018, Honda is working in collaboration with Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso as an engine supplier. Before this, Red Bull had been in a long-term relationship with Renault. Previously, Honda had a short-lived reunion with their old flame McLaren through 2015 to 2017 that led to no success.
However, during the 2019 season, Honda saw three wins with Red Bull using their engines and is keen to continue developing their program. They managed to secure third place in the constructor’s championship and driver’s championship. The team has continued to make vast improvements in a short amount of time.
Mercedes, the long-standing champions and current favorites, have taken notice. According to Mercedes’ F1 head of engine development, Andy Cowell, “Honda are the best improvers this year, they’re way ahead of Ferrari in terms of development rate”. That’s strong praise from a man who has designed championship-winning engines for the last 6 years straight.
However, this 2020 season might be the breakout season for Red Bull and Honda, as the fruits of their labor are finally starting to pay off. Cowell also states that Honda’s, “investment in what they’re doing is huge and their determination is huge.” We are excited to see how the combined efforts of the team will pay their dividends when the time comes. If you aren’t planning on keeping up with Formula 1 this season and love Hondas, we suggest you start watching this time around. There will be some major changes to the sport coming in the next few years and this might be the season where everything changes.
The first race of the season will be the Australian GP on March 14th, don’t miss it!
Photos: Honda F1
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