Some of Honda‘s top drivers were on hand for the Grand Prix in Austria. That weekend also saw a meeting of the F1 Commission, which was quite a coincidence in terms of timing. The engine regulations for 2026 were the most important item on the agenda. Honda has now stated that they were not present at this meeting and that there are no plans for a return to Formula 1.
“We knew a meeting was planned, but we were not there,” Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe told AS-Web. According to Watanabe, Honda is no longer involved in determining the future new Formula 1 rules.
Honda left Formula One after a successful season that culminated in a world title for Max Verstappen. This year, the RB18 will only feature the Japanese brand’s logo. So accepting credit is out, but there is no frustration. “Basically, we ended our F1 activities as Honda last year, so there is no particular frustration,” Koji Watanabe responded. “As a business choice, we decided that we had to concentrate on developing carbon neutral technology, and there was nothing for it but to stop our activities in F1, which require a lot of human resources,” Watanabe says. The fact remains that leaving Formula 1 was purely a business decision for Honda.
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The Japanese CEO dismisses rumours of Honda’s imminent return to the premier class of motor racing. “I believe Formula One has taken a significant step toward CO2 neutrality.” We are closely monitoring F1 developments, but this does not imply that we will be returning to F1 in the near future.
