As the F1 world recovers from today's shock news and wonders precisely 'what happens next', Honda president, Takahiro Hachigo says the Japanese manufacturer intends leaving the sport on a high and is targeting the 2021 title.

While its initial return with McLaren is best forgotten, since partnering with Toro Rosso and then Red Bull, Honda has taken huge strides forward.

However, with an eye on the automotive market that funds its F1 activity, the Japanese giant has basically become the first current manufacturer to make a move that at some point the likes of Mercedes and Renault are going to have to address, the end of the internal combustion engine.

Though it has now served notice to the sport, Hachigo insists that his company will battle for the 2021 title and to that end will continue developing its new power unit.

"We still have seven races this year and then another season," he told reporters at today's press conference to mark the announcement, "and we will try and do our very best to try and win.

"For next year we will launch our new power unit," he continued, "so that together with Red Bull we are going to aim for the season championship.

"For the initial three years we struggled very much," he admitted, "but we overcame that and so far claimed five victories, so I think to some extent we left a good track record with our wins.

"Continuing participation in F1 and enhancing brand capability was one choice and the other one is to lean towards and pour resources into carbon neutrality in 2050," he said of the decision to withdraw from the sport. "It was thoroughly discussed internally within management and through thorough discussions we reached this conclusion.

"F1 is one challenge, we have been able to win, that was one of the targets, we do have seven races and next year so we want to get good results as well."

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1. Posted by Thomas, 02/10/2020 23:59

"ICE and Diesel engines are not going to go away any time soon. EV vehicles will be a niche item and more used in Developed countries where each street has a power station! If at all, the poor working guy who is commuting 70 miles each way in Long Island , N can make good use of EVs. But he lives crowded blue collar area where Charge stations are hard to find or to share. Fire, flooding and bitter cold can kill or challenge the EVs. They are expensive too. I can buy a used C280 Mercedes with 80K miles for $5000. For $5000, I will get only the Electric car minus the new or good-condition batteries. A rich guy or a suburban family will have their own charging stations to use or less distance to travel to work and come back. An EV will always be a toy for the rich and middle class. It is not going to reduce green house gas. India, hey burn the stubs from the land after extracting the grains or using firewood for cooking or heating purposes. It is a niche pollution. Coal burning in other poor countries add more pollution. Thanks to COVID virus, most of the nations have become poorer now. People have to work, they have to commute and they need transportation. EVs are not cheap. Man has to be responsible in his use of energy and be frugal about it. Be on the Right Path and God Conscious and Help other living beings! If people are killing 10 million bodies every day for food and increase their Karma, GodPower triggers a pandemic virus or war and reduce the population. That is what we are witnessing now!
Honda would have stayed if it can win in the next few years! But they are confident that it will happen. So they want to take that money and invest in other for-profit ventures. Who wants to put money in F1 where even the Best engine maker- Renault stumbled badly and the ROI is decreasing in F1!
A suggestion is that Honda should sell the rights to its engine to MeccaChrome and allow the new owner to try its hand on further innovations and leave a 4th engine maker in F1! This will be the 4th Engine Maker Consortium to supply engine for 2 to 3 teams! These engines are paid for and paid b F1 also so that these engine maker breaks even and stays in the game!"

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2. Posted by Kkiirmki, 02/10/2020 15:42

"Has Mercedes pulled out of F1 after 2020 too? That's the only way Honda are going to win a title next year."

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Honda still targeting 2021 title

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