“Racing and motorsport are important to us” – Honda is not involved in the discussions regarding power units from 2025 onwards but could make a return to the sport beyond that.
Honda is set to leave Formula 1 after this season, with Red Bull taking over their IP leading to the creation of Red Bull Powertrains.
Apart from this, there are discussions on the engine formula from 2025 onwards, as the sport shifts from the not-so-exciting turbo-hybrid era.
The Volkswagen group has shown real interest in joining the sport from 2025 and has been part of the discussions with FIA and FOM. But Honda’s motorsports manager Masaya Nagai has confirmed they are not, despite having been a mainstay in the sport in recent years.
“We are not involved in this. We have publicly announced that we are no longer participating in Formula 1, so if we were to talk about 2025 and beyond at this point, we would not be able to make a responsible statement. So we have refrained from doing that.”
Honda eager to break Mercedes dominance
After struggling for the last few seasons with McLaren and Red Bull, Honda wants to go out with a bang this season. They have placed their bets on Red Bull, who are challenging Mercedes to break their stranglehold over the world title.
Because of this, there has been a clamour for them to stay, but a decision has already been taken. Nagai, however, did not rule out yet another return for the team in the not-so-distant future.
“I don’t think it’s as easy as saying that because we’re doing so well, we should do it again.
“The power units will change in the future. The way we race may also change in the context of the carbon-neutral trend. If there is an apex race that we can compete in, we may consider entering it. There may come a time when that happens.
“We are not thinking at this point about how many years it will be until we are back. We are not thinking about going back in years, but we are really hoping that by doing F1 now, we can show the company that racing and motorsport are important to us.”
