Watanabe: Honda wants to support Tsunoda in the future.

      Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, believes that Yuki Tsunode benefited when Red Bull Racing rejected his candidacy at the end of last year, and Liam Lawson became Max Verstappen's new team-mate.

      But just four months later, the team's management had to make another personnel reshuffle: it is believed that Lawson did not justify his trust, failed, so he was returned to Racing Bulls, and Tsunoda became a Red Bull Racing driver.

      "Yuki is now in his fifth year of his Formula 1 career, and I think that during this time he has demonstrated professional growth in many areas," Watanabe is quoted as saying by The Race. – At the very beginning of this period, there really were times when he couldn't control his emotions. But I think he improved especially noticeably after last year and before the start of this season, primarily in terms of psychological preparation.

      In 2024, he worked very hard to get transferred to the Red Bull senior team. But when that didn't happen, he actually got a chance to really work on himself so that eventually his dream would come true.

      Of particular importance to Honda is the fact that Yuki's first race for Red Bull Racing was the Japanese Grand Prix. Although Japan has been represented in Formula 1 and world motorsport for a very long time, many Japanese drivers have come and gone, but it seems to me that for the first time a Japanese driver has been given a place in a top team.

      As soon as it became known that Yuki would become a Red Bull Racing driver, the Japanese fans and our press were very excited, and great attention was paid to this event. This has never happened before.

      He continues to develop professionally, and, of course, he may have his own plans for the future, and he strives to realize them. As far as I understand, he wants to succeed with Red Bull Racing, and we will continue to support him.

      Honda takes this position: in the long run, we want to help Yuki achieve what he dreams of as a professional racer. However, in the future we would like to have the opportunity to continue working with him on some other project, whatever it may be. We believe that Yuki Tsunoda is a member of the Honda family, so we intend to support him in the future."

      Watanabe means that starting next year, the Japanese corporation will become the exclusive partner of Aston Martin F1, and Honda engines will be installed on the cars of the Silverstone team, but there are no vacancies in it yet.