Honda's Toyoharu Tanabe says he is determined for the manufacturer to leave the sport without any regrets as Max Verstappen and Red Bull challenge for both World Championships in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton head into the title decider level on points, with Verstappen leading through victory countback, while Mercedes hold a 28-point advantage over Red Bull in the Constructors' standings. Honda have supplied Red Bull with engines since 2019 but will leave F1 at the end of the season, as the newly-formed Red Bull Powertrains company take over the intellectual property and running of the power units.
Verstappen on pole for Honda's last race
Tanabe, Honda's F1 Technical Director, hailed Verstappen's performance to secure pole for the showdown, aided by a tow from teammate Sergio Perez. "This was our last qualifying, not just of the year but for Honda's time in Formula 1. It was great therefore that it ended with Max taking his 10th pole position of the season," Tanabe commented. "A truly fantastic result which was down to his own performance but also great teamwork from Red Bull Racing, as Checo gave him a tow, and that meant a lot."
"We know what we have to do"
While Red Bull and Honda will continue their relationship through a new "programme of collaboration" , Tanabe does not want to let the opportunity to win a title slide. "We know what we have to do: Max must finish ahead of our rival," added Tanabe, before noting the different strategies at play. "The two Red Bull Racing Hondas start on Soft tyres and the Mercedes on Medium, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. "There are various possible strategies, so from a PU point of view we must be flexible in order to be ready for whatever the team decides. "This is Honda's last race in Formula 1 and we will be doing our best to win the championships, trying to ensure we can end this project with no regrets."
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