Still Supplying Engines until 2025, Honda Cancels Withdrawing from Formula 1

MDP Live - Manufacturer Honda canceled to withdraw from the Formula 1 (F1) racing event. Whereas previously the Japanese company decided to resign after Max Verstappen became world champion with Red Bull in 2021.

However, the decision issued last October is no longer valid, and finally it is confirmed that Honda will still supply engines for Red Bull until the 2025 season.

This news surprised many because it was contrary to the original plans of Honda and Red Bull, which will separate after the 2021 season ends.

Previously, Red Bull had established Red Bull Powertrains (RBP) which made its own engine with a patent from Honda.

Red Bull even recruited many experts to 'hijack' rival team technicians to seriously make F1 engines.

The plan then developed in which Honda would still assist Red Bull during the 2022 season, as a transition period before completely leaving in 2023.

Honda then announced that its F1 racing project at Red Bull Powertrains would be directly supervised by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), which previously only handled two-wheel racing.

Even Masashi Yamamoto, Honda F1 boss, was recently announced to leave Honda to join directly to help with the Milton Keynes squad project.

In fact, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri team engines will still be supplied from Japan as before, until the 2025 season ends.

This decision was made so that Red Bull is really ready to focus on the F1 project in 2026.

"We have now also found a solution that is completely different from what was originally envisioned," said Helmut Marko, boss of Red Bull Motorsport, quoted from Autosport.

“The engine will be produced in Japan until 2025, we will not touch it at all. This means that the rights and all of that will remain in Japan," he said.

Marko added that Honda's decision to withdraw from Formula 1 was allegedly due to Verstappen's F1 championship title in 2021.

“In the course of our growing success, a certain rethink has occurred among the Japanese. And also they can of course use battery knowledge for their electrification phase,” said Marko.

“Initially it was planned they would only make engines for 2022. Now it has been decided that this will continue until 2025, which is of course a huge advantage for us. This means, we only need to make good adjustments and calibrations," he said.

Despite recovering from an injury, Marc Marquez's success in MotoGP 2022 still depends on Honda

MDP Live - Marc Marquez's success in MotoGP 2022 is not only determined by whether or not the injury has been healed. According to MotoGP observer Carlo Pernat, the success of the eight-time world champion depends on Honda.

As is known, Marquez is struggling to fully recover from his injury because it is still far from being prime. He has been practicing motocross and track testing at the Algarve Circuit, Portimao, January 16, 2022.

In Portimao, the 28-year-old racer has tested the RC213V-S to prepare for the 2022 MotoGP stage. He is also waiting for the RC213V Honda will build. The motor is allegedly easier to tame than the latest version.

Regarding his new motorbike, Pernat had high hopes. Honda is said to have to create a motorbike that is in accordance with Marquez's character so that the rider can issue his best performance on the cross. Plus, he's still recovering.

If he manages to create a suitable motorbike, Pernat is very confident about Marquez's chances in MotoGP 2022. The racer nicknamed The Baby Alien also has a great opportunity to add to the trophy coffers.

"If he comes back to being one and if he has a competitive bike, I'm sure he (Marquez) will fight for victory every Sunday," Pernat was quoted as saying by Tuttomotoriweb, Wednesday (26/1/2022).

The analysis is not without reason. The reason is, the Honda racer is still one of the greatest among Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, Joan Mir. He could endanger the three riders if he managed to fully recover and get a competitive bike in MotoGP 2022.

"He has been unfortunate in recent years, but he remains the strongest," explained Pernat.

For additional information, Marquez is also rumored to be participating in the 2022 MotoGP pre-season test at the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia on February 5. Then, the test will be continued in Indonesia, at the Mandalika Circuit, 11-13 February 2022.

Having extraordinary talent, Honda even released Dani Pedrosa

MDP Live - Honda is considered to have made a big mistake for letting Dani Pedrosa leave the Japanese manufacturer. Now he has become a creditworthy figure for KTM.

Honda did not approach Dani Pedrosa at all after the Spaniard decided to retire from the MotoGP championship. Not wanting to waste his talent in building motorcycles, KTM also made Pedrosa their test rider.

Evidently, the RC16 motorcycle has experienced a major improvement since being handled by the 36-year-old rider, although last year they did not show the desired performance.

Meanwhile, Honda was getting worse after Marc Marquez was absent for a long time due to a broken arm injury. This led to various criticisms, among them saying that the RC213V motorcycle was only made for the six-time MotoGP world champion, considering that only he could tame the Japanese manufacturer's motorbike.

The former Repsol Honda boss, Livio Suppo, then mentioned several mistakes made by Honda, including releasing Dani Pedrosa.

"Last year it was clear, the developments were not going in the right direction, it was as if they ignored the signals they received from the track and from the riders themselves," Suppo said as quoted by Motorsport.com.

"Many mistakes have been made and I apologize because I am very close to Honda and its history is not questioned. For example, It was a mistake to let Dani Pedrosa go," he added.

"It shows that the development of the bike is going in a direction where only Marc can be strong on the RC213V," he continued.

Honda also reasoned that Michelin's rear tire allocation changes last year caused their bikes to not have good grip. However, Livio Suppo feels that the manufacturer with the single wing logo should really listen to input from other racers in developing the bike.

"They didn't have any preparation after losing Marc. I'm very sad that Honda has to fight like this now, because when I left the team after the 2017 season we were very strong, we were a reference for everyone," Suppo said.

"I hope Marc is well, because his contribution is very big, considering the results of the other Honda riders have not been good. It shows that the development of the bike may not be going in the right direction."