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That is awesome! Honda, you rock.
The article is worth a read. Honda has quit a few times before.
That team was then sold to Mercedes to become their works team which now utterly dominates F1 for the last few seasons.
If only they persevered.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s also about positioning. Honda’s brand wasn't performing as well as they would like in F1. Probably in addition to it being expensive.
Which is crazy, given the fact that Max Verstappen's Honda-powered Red Bull is the only car on the gird that can put up any challenge whatsoever against Mercedes and a Honda-powered Alpha Tauri _won_ at Monza (a circuit where engine performance is critical).
Honda were on the cusp of dominating F1 and decided "nahhh". I wonder if it's actually not that good for business - otherwise someone's gotta be kicking themselves.
F-1 has always baffled me as a sport. Not that it's inherently bad or boring, just that there are so many motor sports that make it look that way. Same with NASCAR. I don't understand how an audience for those exists when, for example, rally races exist.
F1 isn't what it used to be last century. Races were nail biting epic contests, cars visibly improved every season, drivers were international celebrities dicing with real life ending risk, and passionate fans filled the stadiums. Modern races are just a procession of the same few people each weekend in global rich social events.
F-1 has always baffled me as a sport. Not that it's inherently bad or boring, just that there are so many motor sports that make it look that way. Same with NASCAR. I don't understand how an audience for those exists when, for example, rally races exist.
It’s also an important vehicle for focused R&D. F-E for example has specific rules in place, that change each year, to stimulate the advancement of specific bits of electric car technology.
F1 isn't what it used to be last century. Races were nail biting epic contests, cars visibly improved every season, drivers were international celebrities dicing with real life ending risk, and passionate fans filled the stadiums. Modern races are just a procession of the same few people each weekend in global rich social events.
With the automobile market transitioning to EV, it is inevitable that F1 will be rebooted as an EV contest. Expect Honda to re-enter then, particularly if MotoGP goes EV first.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The F1 program was by far their most expensive program, and would have easily had the worst ROI. The Honda engine (well, _this_ Honda engine at least) was not going to win a world championship. It was miles behind the Mercedes engine, it didn't even look as good as the Renault one. Even the crippled Ferrari engine was beating one of the Honda teams. The main Red Bull team has got some not bad results from it, but tha…
> Even the crippled Ferrari engine was beating one of the Honda teams. The current points order is: - Verstappen (Red Bull Honda) - Albon (Red Bull Honda) - Leclerc (Ferrari) - Gasly (Alpha Tauri Honda) - Vettel (Ferrari) - Kvyat (Alpha Tauri Honda) - Raikonnen (Alfa Romeo Ferrari) - Giovianazzi (Alfa Romeo Ferrari) - Magnussen (Haas Ferrari) - Grosjean (Haas Ferrari) I think any claim that Honda is worse than Ferrar…
I would say the Honda engine is better than the Ferrari engine. But that still leaves them fighting for last place.
Honda’s commitment to F1 has been viewed with a fair amount of skepticism since they came back, primarily because of how much of a PR disaster their last stint in the sport was (with Alonso complaining about the engine constantly). This time around it hasn’t been a disaster, but it hasn’t been much of a success either. With two constructors having clearly better engines, it’s not too surprising to see them leave.
F1 isn't what it used to be last century. Races were nail biting epic contests, cars visibly improved every season, drivers were international celebrities dicing with real life ending risk, and passionate fans filled the stadiums. Modern races are just a procession of the same few people each weekend in global rich social events.
But you’re right that it has gotten far safer. Drivers walk away from horrific crashes at insane speeds.
And modern cars despite being less powerful post lap times that boggle the mind. The aero is bonkers. Drivers regularly pull 5G laterally in corners. If it weren’t for rules, I bet we’d see cornering blackouts like fighter pilots get.
To understand why F1 is attractive, watch this speed comparison video, it’s 9 years old so more powerful engines, but slower lap times: https://youtu.be/K2cNqaPSHv0
As for rich people ... you can say the same about any sport. Why watch basketball? It’s just a bunch of millionaires running around in shorts
Edit: here’s another good comparison, motogp vs f1 on the same track this year https://youtu.be/NIIJNSdJoNQ
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s also about positioning. Honda’s brand wasn't performing as well as they would like in F1. Probably in addition to it being expensive.
Which is crazy, given the fact that Max Verstappen's Honda-powered Red Bull is the only car on the gird that can put up any challenge whatsoever against Mercedes and a Honda-powered Alpha Tauri _won_ at Monza (a circuit where engine performance is critical).
F-1 has always baffled me as a sport. Not that it's inherently bad or boring, just that there are so many motor sports that make it look that way. Same with NASCAR. I don't understand how an audience for those exists when, for example, rally races exist.
F-1 was really interesting years ago. With no traction control or advanced aerodynamics and less regulations on engine power, it was a real arena for drivers. It was so fierce that Senna decided to hit his rival in the first corner of a race, taking out both, solidifying Senna's championship. It was exciting too. Since drivers need to take risks with 750+ HP beasts, Senna battling Schumacher, Villneuve battling Coult…
An Adrian Newey designed car hasn't won the championship since 2013.