Honda Motor will end its participation in the FIA Formula One World Championship as a power unit supplier at the end of the 2021 season, it said on Friday.
The Japanese company said in a statement that it wants to focus its research and development resources on energy technologies including for fuel cells and battery electric vehicles.
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Honda is currently the power unit supplier to Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Honda returned to F1 in 2015 in partnership with McLaren before switching to Toro Rosso in 2018 and joining forces with Red Bull in 2019. It will now accelerate development of zero-emission technologies such as fuel cells and batteries.
Red Bull Racing said it was “disappointed” but noted the success of the partnership with Max Verstappen scoring Honda’s first victory since 2006 at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, followed by three other wins and 13 podium finishes.
Team principal Christian Horner said they respect Honda’s decision “to re-deploy their resources.”
"Their decision presents obvious challenges for us as a team but we have been here before and with our strength in depth we are well prepared and equipped to respond effectively, as we have proven in the past,” Horner said in a statement.
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