Honda to quit F1 to focus on zero-emission technology

FILE PHOTO: Nov 3, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen (33) of Netherlands during the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

TOKYO—Japan’s Honda Motor will end its participation as an engine supplier in the Formula One World Championship at the end of the 2021 season to focus on zero-emission technology, it said on Friday.

The decision was made at the end of September and the company does not intend to return to F1, Chief Executive Takahiro Hachigo said in an online news conference.

“This is not a result of the coronavirus pandemic but because of our longer-term carbon-free goal,” he said.

Honda, which returned to F1 in 2015 in partnership with the Red Bull Racing team, will instead accelerate development of zero-emission technologies such as fuel cells and batteries.

“We understand how difficult it has been for Honda Motor Company to reach the decision. We understand and respect the reasoning behind this,” Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said in a statement.