26/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Admitting that he "loved" working with Honda, Max Verstappen says it is "a shame" how the Japanese manufacturer's decisions have changed.
He was, of course, referring to Honda's decision to leave the sport, thereby causing Red Bull to form its own engine division, only for the Japanese manufacturer to eventually reverse its original decision.
Having initially announced in late 2020 that it would exit F1 at the end of 2021, having won the title with Red Bull and Max Verstappen it subsequently confirmed that it would continue to work with the Austrian team until 2025 after which the new regulations would come into force.
However, encouraged by the sports increasing move towards sustainability it announced that it would return to the sport, and on Wednesday confirmed its works partnership with Aston Martin.
As he seemingly heads towards his third title with the Japanese manufacturer, Verstappen admitted his regret at the way things worked out.
Insisting that he "loved working" with Honda, and that for Aston Martin "it's really good", he said: "From our side, of course, it's a bit unfortunate how all of that turned out, because a few years ago, they say we're gonna stop, so then Red Bull sets up its own engine division, and then at one point they say no, we continue.
"Unfortunately, once you're already in the process of building a whole engine yourself, you can't really work together anymore. It's a bit of a shame, I would say.
"We always have and had a really good relationship with them," he continued, "and then seeing them go to Aston Martin is a bit of a shame. But, we are also very excited from our side from 2026 onwards to see what's going to happen together with Ford.
"It is what it is," he added. "A few years ago, we thought they were gonna leave, now they stay and they go with Aston Martin. For Aston Martin, it's really good, they have a great engine, we all know that. So it is what it is.
"I love working with them, we've had a lot of success already, so of course I will be sad to see them go at one point, but we already expected that right? Because they said we're gonna pull out, so we already had a kind of a goodbye. But yeah, it is what it is. Of course, I'm happy for the Honda people that they stay in Formula 1, but sad to see them go."
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