Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced that it has decided to conclude its participation in the FIA Formula One (F1) World Championship as a power unit supplier at the end of the 2021 season, due to its commitment to and future investment in electric mobility.
In 2015, Honda resumed competition in F1, the most prestigious automobile racing series in the world, with the goal of creating wins using its own energy management technologies and demonstrating the collective strength of “All Honda,” including the utilization of aircraft engine technologies.
In the meantime, as the automobile industry undergoes a period of great transformation, Honda has decided to strive for the “realization of carbon neutrality by 2050.” This goal will be pursued as part of Honda’s environmental initiatives, a top priority for Honda as a mobility manufacturer.
Toward this end, Honda will redirect its corporate resources in research and development into the areas of the future power unit and energy technologies, including fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies, which is at the core of carbon-free technologies. As a part of this move, in April of this year, Honda created a new Centre called Innovative Research Excellence, Power Unit & Energy. Honda will allocate energy management and fuel technologies as well as the knowledge amassed through F1 activities to this area of the power unit and energy technologies and take on initiatives while focusing on the future achievement of carbon neutrality. With this in mind Honda made the decision to conclude its participation in F1.
In F1, in order to fulfil the expectations of its fans, Honda will continue to work together with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri and continue competing until the end of the 2021 season.
With its “challenging spirit” cultivated through motorsports activities, Honda will take on the new challenge of achieving a future of carbon neutrality.