Even though he has yet to decide on his future, Honda insists that its dream is to win the title with Fernando Alonso.

Other than being the perfect basis for the next F1 movie, surely a third title for the true 'Rocky' of F1 would be popular with many of those fans the sport is increasingly turning its back on, and according to chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara, Honda wants to make it happen.

Later this month the Japanese manufacturer introduces its much-anticipated upgrade, and in the wake of the apparent success of the upgrades to the car in Hungary, some are predicting a significant step forward.

When Honda returned to F1 with McLaren in 2015, the Spaniard, and teammate Jenson Button, suffered the sort of nightmare that would have broken lesser men. Though he subsequently went off to pursue his Triple Crown dream, he subsequently returned to F1, first with Alpine, then Aston Martin.

Meanwhile, following its nightmare partnership with McLaren, Honda finally got its act together and went on to propel Max Verstappen to four successive titles.

The current situation could be seen as history repeating itself, but Orihara is adamant that this time around recovery can be much quicker, and with the Spaniard's input, there could yet be a fairy-tale ending.

"He has 20 years of experience," says Orihara. "So if Fernando says 'we need this deployment before going into a corner', then we should respect his opinion."

Asked if Honda genuinely believes a third title is possible, or whether this is simply a PR bone for the media, he adds: "That is our target... definitely.

"We are working closely, and we know he is a great driver," he continued. "He has a big passion, and he trusts Honda. So we want to bring what he wants, that is definitely our target."

However, there remains the question of what Alonso wants to do.

Like most of his rivals he hates the 2026 formula and has admitted that he will spend the summer thinking about his future.

He has previously said that he wants to put Aston Martin on a firm, competitive standing, and Adrian Newey has made no secret of his desire to keep him. Meanwhile, Flavio Briatore would dearly love him back at Alpine.

In all honesty it all seems a bit far-fetched, then again, this time last year who would have been contemplating Lewis Hamilton being second in the standings, eyeing up an eighth (ninth?) crown.

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1. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 20 minutes ago

"Although it didn't pan out for him and many pundits scoffed at it, I remember when Schumacher was asked what he hopes to do by returning with Mercedes and his answer was to win the title. By the same token, Honda get points here for adopting the right attitude. Regardless of the odds, If you're not there to win it, then why be there in first place?
We see what a defeatist mindset looks like just by watching Ferrari for the past five or so years, happy with a podium and a willingness to toss away a possible win for a safely secured points position. It's tragic to witness. So, good luck to Honda, although with all that said banking on Alonso to put up with the current fake, AI assisted, trash that is Formula 1 for the next four years is a big ask. I can't even stand looking at it for very long, let alone drive those bloody things."

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Honda targets title... with Alonso

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