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- Honda had worked with McLaren, AlphaTauri and Red Bull
- Manufacturer left to focus on sustainability goals
Honda's managing director of motorsport Masashi Yamamoto has stated he believes the Japanese manufacturer will return to Formula One in the future.
Honda departed the series at the end of the 2021 season after a seven-year stint when it supported McLaren Racing, AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing.
Having left to focus on its company-wide efforts of achieving carbon neutrality, Honda's success in Formula One culminated with a drivers' championship secured by Max Verstappen last year.
In 2022, Red Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri will continue to use Honda power units, and several of Honda's staff will continue to work on the project known now as Red Bull Powertrains.
Although the Japanese manufacturer has not made an official comment about its possible future in Formula One, Yamamoto has suggested that Honda could return.
"Personally I hope and expect Honda will come back to Formula One," he told F1.com. "It depends on young people in Honda being passionate about motorsport and if they can convince senior management to come back. But history repeats, so I hope it can happen.”
Honda has a strong history in Formula One, securing several constructors' and drivers' titles with McLaren Racing and Williams Racing in the 1980s and 1990s, before making a difficult return with the former in 2015.
"Even while having to deal with logistical difficulties, partly down to the Covid-19 pandemic, in this our last season, we have been fighting with very strong rivals and we came out on top of the Formula One world," Yamamoto added.
"This is due to all the hard work from all our engineers and mechanics, not just those at the racetrack. They never gave up, even in the most difficult times, and made numerous technological breakthroughs along the way.
"We were able to prove the validity and effectiveness of our technology and the abilities of our workforce. Of course, we could not have achieved these results without the major role played by our great partners, Red Bull Racing with whom we won the title and also Scuderia AlphaTauri, who welcomed us with an open mind, allowing us to move forward together after a difficult three years.
"We should not forget McLaren, with whom this era started back in 2015 and all the drivers who have worked with us, always putting maximum effort into achieving the best possible results.
"We can say this project has been a success as we leave the sport having helped Max Verstappen win the Drivers’ World Championship."