F1 - Honda Japanese GP - sportstiger

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Honda will once again make a comeback to the F1 track but in a new avatar. This time not as an engine supplier, but the Japanese brand will be the title sponsor of the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. The Suzuka Circuit announced the same via a press release that the Japanese GP will be known as the Formula One Honda Japanese Grand Prix.

This will be the first opportunity since 2019 when Formula 1 will travel to Japan, after 2020 & 21 GP were cancelled due to Coronavirus. Honda officially withdrew from Formula 1 as a power unit supplier at the end of last year. However, Red Bull and AlphaTauri continue to use the power units provided by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC). Honda was previously the title sponsor of the event in 2018. The race was last held in 2019 and was absent from the calendar thereafter due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It is a great pleasure for Honda to be named as the title sponsor of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix to be held at the Suzuka Circuit, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year," said Honda Communications Operating Executive Koji Watanabe.

He further informed that Honda would continue to support the further promotion and popularisation of motorsports in Japan.

The Japanese manufacturer culminated a seven-year stint in which they were first ridiculed as a power unit supplier to McLaren in their early years, but later they transformed themselves with RedBull and had the best power unit on the grid in the 2021 F1 season. However, Honda's departure from the sport surprised many, leaving RedBull without a power unit supplier.

Later, it was resolved with Milton Keynes outfit by putting the Red Bull powertrains division, which is a rebadged Honda power unit. Honda claimed that its sports vision was not convincing as the vision of Formula One, and hence, they bid goodbye to the sport. But, if reports are to be believed, the Japanese manufacturer can make their comeback in sports in the 2026 season, but in what capacity that remains a mystery.