Earlier this week, Porsche reportedly ruled out entering Formula 1 in 2026 as part of a partnership with Red Bull after exhausting all options to join the sport following the introduction of new engine regulations.
Honda initially pulled out of Formula 1 in 2021, having powered Max Verstappen to his maiden World Championship title.
The company then returned to the sport through a technical partnership with Red Bull, which through the Red Bull Powertrains company, took over the Honda engine IP.
Honda and Red Bull have a deal in place which will see the duo continue their relationship until the end of the 2025 season, when a brand new set of power unit regulations will come into play.
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“Red Bull’s partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA’s power unit regulations in 2025,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in 2022 when the companies signed a three year contract extension.
However, there is some doubt over Honda’s future in Formula 1 when the regulation changes come into effect, requiring the design of a completely new engine, with the company still undecided on whether to step aside.
“I think if I explained the situation completely they would understand, but not everyone knows the situation,” Watanabe Koji, Executive Officer of Honda Motor, told web.jp.
“So in that sense, I regret that the situation is difficult to understand so I’m sorry.”
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“However, I would like you to understand that we are continuing our F1 activities at the request of Red Bull, because we did not want to cause trouble for Red Bull and AlphaTauri,” he added.
“The power unit development is also frozen until 2025, so please understand that our relationship with them has also been extended for that time,” the Japanese executive continued.
“Of course I have no intention of apologising for still being in F1,” he stated.
“In the end, if it caused a situation that was difficult to understand and there was a lack of explanation for that, I am sorry about that.”