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Honda Pulls Out of Formula 1, to Chase Carbon Neutrality

All the cars in Formula 1 presently use engines made by just four carmakers: Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Renault, and Honda. But at the end of next season, provided nobody else joins the fun, there will be only three.
Red Bull regrets Honda's decision, ready to move on 9 photos
Photo: Red Bull
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In a statement released Friday morning, Japanese company Honda announced that at the end of the 2021 season it would end its involvement with Formula 1, as it seeks to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 by means incompatible with F1 racing.

“Honda has decided to conclude its participation in the FIA Formula One World Championship as a power unit supplier at the end of the 2021 season,” the carmaker said in a statement.

“This goal will be pursued as part of Honda’s environmental initiatives which is one of the top priorities of Honda as a mobility manufacturer.”

The news of this will have a big impact on the two teams that are presently using Honda engines, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri, who will have to find some other solution one season from now. In the meantime, the carmaker says it will continue to offer support for the two teams for the duration of its stay in the series.

Honda has had a very tumultuous affair with Formula 1. Last time they got back on board was in 2015, with McLaren. That deal ended just two seasons later. With the current teams, Honda managed to score just three wins last season, and two so far in the current season.

As for what’s next, the Japanese say they’ll from now on focus on “research and development into the areas of future power unit and energy technologies, including fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies, which will be the core of carbon-free technologies.“

Translated, that means Honda is no longer willing to pump any money into an endeavor that’s bringing it little satisfaction.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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