Honda will make its official return to Formula 1 this year as the title sponsor of the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place at its Suzuka circuit. This return will not officially be with the Red Bull teams as such.

At the end of last season, Honda bid farewell to Formula One as an official manufacturer, announcing that it would focus on the electrification of its production car range. This meant that the manufacturer bid farewell to ‘officially’ powering both Red Bull teams; Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri. The swansong obviously being the Max Verstappen drivers title last year.

However, Honda is still involved in the championship “under the radar”. The Red Bull and AlphaTauri V6s are rebadged Japanese blocks and the brand’s engineers and R&D are supporting the red bull in its endeavour until Red Bull takes full control of power unit maintenance and reliability development in-house, eventually joining forces with Porsche in a few years time.

The last Formula 1 race at Suzuka, HondaLand to its fans, took place in 2019 as the events scheduled for 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to Covid.

Honda will therefore capitalise on the return of F1 to the land of the rising sun, which still enjoys a huge fan base, by placing its name as title sponsor of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Suzuka circuit celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. By returning to the forefront, Honda hopes to contribute to the continued success and popularity of F1 in Japan.