The beginning of the 2025 season might not have gone to plan at Crimson Bull HQ, however it is going to nonetheless rejoice its profitable partnerships with Honda in fashion at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix earlier than the 2 events go separate methods.
Marking the sixtieth anniversary of Honda’s first grand prix win – achieved by Richie Ginther on the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix – Crimson Bull’s RB21 is donned in a one-off tribute livery sporting Japan’s crimson and white colors, and with Yuki Tsunoda the producer now additionally has a homegrown driver in one of many seats.
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With a swap to Aston Martin and considerably completely different engine rules on the horizon in 2026, this season would not simply mark the top of Honda’s Crimson Bull affiliation, but in addition that of its hybrid period redemption arc, going from humiliation with McLaren to 2 constructors’ titles with Crimson Bull and 4 driver crowns with Max Verstappen.
Honda re-joined F1 as a producer in 2015, one yr into the hybrid period however earlier than it was really prepared to take action. And it confirmed. The model’s much-vaunted reunion with McLaren was an unmitigated catastrophe, from each technical and cultural factors of view.
Honda arrived in F1 with a particularly bold and tightly packaged energy unit, a so-called ‘dimension zero’ idea, which introduced with it a spate of issues when it comes to each energy supply and reliability, requiring a whole rethink of the engine’s structure for subsequent seasons.
It was on the Japanese Grand Prix, 10 years in the past this yr, that the producer confronted its greatest humiliation, when Fernando Alonso labelled the model’s energy unit a “GP2 engine” over the staff radio after Verstappen flew previous on the straight. Together with different inner conflicts and cultural variations, the incident contributed to the irreparable hurt to the connection, and whereas there have been marked indicators of progress from Honda, the McLaren deal was terminated after 2017.
Fernando Alonso, McLaren MP4-30 Honda
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures
“From 2015 to 2017, it was a really troublesome state of affairs for each Honda and the staff,” Honda HRC president Koji Watanabe remembers from the Alonso incident. “It was a very irritating interval in our historical past, and there have been occasions when our relationship was strained. However I believe we’ve turn into stronger as a result of we overcame that frustration.”
However whereas McLaren determined to look elsewhere, Crimson Bull was on the prowl for a works associate of its personal because it grew to become more and more annoyed with Renault. Given Honda’s preliminary struggles to rise up to hurry, Crimson Bull’s resolution to first swap to the producer with Toro Rosso in 2018 and subsequently with the principle staff one yr later raised a number of eyebrows within the paddock.
“We have come to the conclusion that Honda are making good progress on each efficiency and reliability and we reached the conclusion that purely for technically-driven causes that is the suitable transfer,” Crimson Bull’s Christian Horner mentioned mid-2018, saying his operation and Honda had cultivated a “wholesome working relationship”, one thing which McLaren hadn’t succeeded in. Honda embedded itself a lot nearer with Crimson Bull in Milton Keynes, whereas additionally inviting key personnel over to its Sakura plant in Japan.
Additional proof that each Crimson Bull and Honda had made strides adopted quickly sufficient, with Verstappen taking third on the rostrum behind the dominant Mercedes within the opening 2019 Australian Grand Prix, dicing with the Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc for third within the championship.
A landmark win arrived in Austria later that yr, Honda’s first F1 victory since its 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix triumph with Jenson Button. Talking to Motorsport.com final yr, Watanabe mentioned Verstappen performed a key function in serving to the connection between the 2 events blossom, with one post-race gesture in Austria notably endearing himself to the proud Japanese firm.
“My greatest reminiscence is him pointing on the Honda brand on the rostrum in Austria on the Crimson Bull Ring,” Watanabe mentioned. “I used to be standing underneath the rostrum and that was a really particular second for me. He thanks Honda lots in public, which is essential for all of the folks working for Honda. It’s a superb relationship. We belief one another and we’re proud to work collectively, so we are going to miss him sooner or later.”
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, 1st place, celebrates on the rostrum
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures
However whereas the Crimson Bull-Honda went from energy to energy, the Japanese model introduced in late 2020 that it will pull out of F1 after 2021, citing prices within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Solely after intensive talks the model agreed to proceed supplying engines to each Crimson Bull groups underneath the HRC label. Honda was rewarded for sticking with Crimson Bull with two producers titles in 2022 and 2023, even when the staff’s Japanese-built engines formally ran underneath the Crimson Bull Powertrains label.
Its closing goal was supporting a homegrown driver from its Components Dream undertaking all the way in which to a top-line seat in Components 1, a aim which seemed set to fail till only a few weeks in the past. However Crimson Bull’s resolution to swap Liam Lawson and Tsunoda has lastly given the Japanese driver an opportunity of a lifetime, even whether it is suffering from pitfalls within the troublesome RB21.
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Making the swap earlier than this weekend’s Suzuka race – in a Japanese livery no much less – will increase the stress on Tsunoda, but in addition provides to the enchantment for Honda, which is known to have upped its monetary dedication. “At Honda we’re dedicated to growing drivers and riders who can compete on the worldwide stage, and I consider that considered one of our main targets has been achieved,” Watanabe mentioned. “I’m really completely satisfied that Yuki is making his debut with a particular livery commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of our F1 victories, and I sincerely hope he achieves nice outcomes.”
Honda’s U-turn on leaving F1 got here too late to salvage its Crimson Bull partnership, with the model heading to the bold Aston Martin undertaking as a substitute. However 10 years on from that dreaded “GP2” humiliation, the Japanese large can lastly say it has come full circle.
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Filip Cleeren
Components 1
Crimson Bull Racing
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