While their bosses made them redundant after 2021, you can be sure that the decision by Honda bigwigs to terminate their involvement in Formula 1 at the end of next season, will have come as a big shock to the team tasked with the PU project.
Honda Racing F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe said head of this weekend’s Eifel Grand Prix, “Everyone involved in Honda’s F1 project is very sad that our time in the sport is coming to an end.
“We have enjoyed excellent partnerships with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri and I am proud of what we have achieved with both teams so far in terms of wins and podium finishes.
“For the moment, our work continues exactly as before and we will be doing our utmost to secure more wins and good results with both teams.
“We have also assured the FIA and Formula 1 of our intention to fully meet our responsibilities, not just towards our two teams but also to the sport in general, all the way through to the end of the 2021 season,” added Tanabe.
Honda are committed to F1 until the end of 2021, thereafter (and as of now) Red Bull and AlphaTauri are in the lurch, with their worst case scenario being a return to Renault-power for 2022 and beyond.