Honda says late F1 development start cost it nearly two years

Honda’s late start on Formula 1 development left it effectively almost two years behind its competitors, says Honda executive Koji Watanabe. He identifies the delay as the main cause of the disappointing performance in the company’s new partnership with Aston Martin. Watanabe gave the explanation to Motorsport’s Japanese edition.

The work had not stopped entirely, Watanabe said. After establishing HRC as its racing-development organisation, Honda continued Formula 1-related work, including fundamental research. But after the company’s fourth F1 programme ended, many of the engineers who had worked on it were transferred on 31 March 2022 to departments focused on carbon neutrality and advanced technologies.

When Honda announced its return in 2023, it still had to build a fully functioning development organisation, Watanabe said. Honda had decided to return a year later than its competitors, and setting up the structure took time. Engineers who had previously worked in F1 had since taken important roles elsewhere in Honda; their responsibilities had to be handed over before they could move back. Honda also recruited externally and drew staff from other departments.

Watanabe said a fully staffed organisation from the outset could have allowed Honda to work on both electrified components and the combustion engine. Instead, with too few staff at first, Honda began with the battery and electric motor, which require long development times. The targets were met, he said, but at the expense of the combustion engine. Honda later shifted its attention to the engine, but efforts to recover the lost time ran into budget and development-time limits. The company ultimately could not make up the time, Watanabe said.