Damon Hill thinks that Honda's exit from F1 off the back of a championship-winning year could be the best way to leave the sport. The manufacturer announced at the end of 2020 that they would walk away from Formula 1 after the 2021 season, bringing an end to their partnership with Red Bull. With Max Verstappen clinching the World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Honda were able to quit F1 with a title under their belt. Whilst some may find it disappointing that the engine supplier have left just as they were experiencing success, Hill believes that it might be the ideal way to bow out, and compares it to Nico Rosberg's decision to retire after winning the 2016 championship. "It's a bit like Nico Rosberg - shock horror, they've left us as they win, again," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "But, in many ways, it could be the best way to leave, actually winning the championship. Otherwise, it's just more [and] more hard work!"
The joy of the fight
On the other hand, Hill admits that the allure for many in sport is the struggle and the process of reaching the point of success. "There's some who will say [that] it's the journey, it's the fight, it's the continual struggle," the 1996 World Champion said. "Not the ending. [The ending] can sometimes be a bit of a letdown, because you suddenly find yourself [thinking], 'Well, now what do I do?' "You need it again, you need to go back again. But to Honda - well done, Honda. What an astonishing achievement, and sorry to see you go." Honda had been partnered with the Red Bull stable in F1 since 2018, when they supplied the then-called Toro Rosso team with engines before also doing the same for the main Red Bull outfit in 2019. Prior to that, the manufacturer worked with McLaren between 2015 and 2017 in a relationship that did not reach the same levels of success as the one that followed with Red Bull.
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