Honda have a habit of ditching their F1 adventures at relatively short notice, then deciding other wise at a later date. They famously sold their team with the 2009 car designed and constructed to Ross Brawn for £1. The Brit then branded it Brawn GP and negotiated nine months salaries from Honda, as redundancy pay for the staff.

With meagre sponsorship from Virgin and a few others, Brawn GP set about revolutionising the modern F1 pecking order as they stormed to both championships, with Jenson Button claiming the drivers honours that season.

The Japanese manufacturer decided in 2021 that they would not be taking part in Formula One when the new power unit designs came into force in 2026. Red Bull dutifully poached key engineers from their staff for the Red Bull Powertrain programme designed to replace Honda.

 

 

 

Honda back Tsunoda move to Aston

Less than a year later, Honda decided in fact F1 did along with its corporate view to invest in an electrical future and so applied to the FIA to be part of the next era of F1 engines come 2026.

Despite Honda offering to continue as Red Bull’s exclusive power unit supplier, Christian Horner had now been burned twice, first by Renault and then by Honda, and so the proposal was politely refused. The Japanese racing brand will not supply Aston Martin come next season, but hopes they would be able to facilitate a seat for their driver Yuki Tsunoda now appear to be fading.

This time last year the tea leaves looked to be offering a bright future for Tsunoda, with Aston Martin facing the perpetual issue of Lance Stroll underperforming the standards set by his ageing team mate. Whilst Tsunodo’s four years in F1 have seen their ups and downs, Yuki would generally be considered a better driver than the son of the owner of the Aston Martin team.

The president of HRT (Honda Racing Team) had this to say of Tsunoda in April 2024. “Entering our fourth year, I feel that he has become more calm than ever,” observed Koji Watanabe. “Not only on the radio, but also in normal conversation. He really has changed.”

Red Bull rethink Liam Lawson’s role

 

 

 

Back track over Yuki’s F1 future

And when asked about the future partnership with Aston Martin and a drive for Yuki, Watanabe had this to say: “If there is an opportunity for him to come to Aston Martin, of course we would welcome it. I want him to choose the best option for him.”

Almost a year on and the rhetoric from the boss of HRC has shifted somewhat. No longer is there the possibility mentioned of a drive at Aston for the Japanese driver, but it appears Honda are cutting Tsunoda loose.

“He [Tsunoda] needs to take action himself,” says Watanabe to Japanese Motorsport.com. “I want him to make the best choices for himself. He’s now in his fifth year, has the ability, and understands the world of F1 well.”

“There’s not much more we can do for him. He needs to solidify his support team, including his manager, and secure the necessary seat. He is a professional, after all.”

Fans demand sacking of Sky F1 presenter

 

 

 

“A driver cannot rely on Honda forever”

Honda’s boss goes on to say a driver cannot “rely on Honda forever,” which is a clear indication Tsunoda’s recruitment into th eRed Bull sister team was part of the engine supply agreement with Red Bull.

Watanabe does confirm there remains a sponsorship agreement between Honda and Tsunodo, but it is up to Yuki to find himself another seat on the F1 grid should the Racing Bulls dispense with his services come the end of the year.

Surprisingly to many in the F1 paddock, Tsunoda was overlooked for the seat alongside Max Verstappen this year. Instead Red Bull opted for the limited experience of Liam Lawson who is expected to see out the year whether he can improve on Perez’s contribution towards the team championship or not.

This move was interpreted as Red Bull tipping their cap to Honda for one last time, although Yuki’s contract was renewed for this season before even the half way point of last season. Whether it was by way of an attempt to justify Red Bull’s decision to retain the Japanese driver, Dr. Helmut Marko confirmed following the announcement there was interest from eswhere in engaging Yuki’s services as a driver.

Red Bull hit back at Newey criticism

 

 

 

Tsunoda was in demand before resigning for RBR

“He was in demand by other teams. He is young and he fits our mould. That’s why we’ve just extended his contract for another year,” the Red Bull consultant confirmed. Yet since Tsunoda failed to make the Red Bull grade and receive promotion to replace the failing Sergio Perez, the sands appear to be shifting and Yuki will almost certainly need to find another drive for 2026, particularly given the latest comments from Honda.

Ironically, the new Honda-Aston Martin partnership will see the Japanese engine manufacturer reunited with their old friend Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard described their underperforming power unit as a “GP2 engine” in 2015, as he was overtaken by by the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson at the Japanese GP.

Yet all is not well in Honda power unit land as TJ123 reported this week they appear to behind with their 2026 engine and will not homologate it with the FIA until the very last minute.

“We are aiming to submit the homologation in February next year – since we had a slightly late start, we want to push forward until the very last moment,” Honda’s project manager told Autosport. “It’s difficult to say exactly what percentage of progress we have made, but I believe we have reached a considerable stage,” said Ketushi Katuda.

Marko issues warning to Hamilton

 

 

 

Honda new power unit not on target

These are not the words of a man who believes his project is running to plan, given the late changes to the power unit Honda suggests they will enact, means that weeks and weeks of reliability testing will be now be impossible. 

Honda were late to the party the last time F1 had a significant change to its engine designs. The result was embarrassment as Alonso suggested and it was four years before the Honda PU became truly competitive.

Newey will have his fingers crossed that Honda deliver, given he has stated on numerous occasions he believes next year and the year after may well be “dominated by F1’s new power units.” Adrian has been there before when an engine supplier failed to deliver, as Renault looked woefully unprepared for the new V6 turbo hybrids in 2014.

Newey “massively” surprised by Lance Stroll

 

 

 

McLaren now the off track Red Bull bitter rivals

With just a week before the Formula One cars hit the track in anger in Melbourne, Netflix has dropped its latest  Drive to Survive series. Now in its seventh season, the fly on the wall documentary has become a staple for many F1 fans as the clock ticks down for race one of the year.

With the off track shenanigans from early last season making F1 headlines, the streaming services offering from the 2024 season has plenty of content from which to choose.

The opening episode is entitled “business as usual” and deals with the off track row over allegations made against Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Although he was completely exonerated by two external investigations, the footage made for good TV while the story was breaking…. READ MORE