Another leadership change at Honda F1
"I will focus on investing in people"
Honda has announced another major management change as its troubled Formula 1 partnership with Aston Martin begins to show signs of improvement.
Honda Racing Corporation confirmed on Monday that president and CEO Koji Watanabe will retire on January 1, with current executive vice president Keiichi Yasuda taking over.
The announcement is amid the disastrous first season of the Aston Martin-Honda works partnership, although Fernando Alonso’s P8 at Sepang on Sunday offered some encouragement.
Watanabe, who has led HRC since 2022, was instrumental in bringing Honda’s motorcycle and automobile racing programs together and overseeing its return to Formula 1.
"For the remaining three months of my presidency, I will continue to do my utmost, aiming for victory until the very end," he said in a statement.
Honda described the leadership change as a planned personnel rotation rather than a response to its Formula 1 difficulties.
Incoming boss Yasuda said his priority would be strengthening the organisation. "I will focus on investing in people and strengthening our organisation toward victory," he said.
Meanwhile, Honda trackside chief Shintaro Orihara admitted that Aston Martin’s four-point result in Malaysia was not necessarily a reflection of the engine’s competitiveness.
"It’s not entirely indicative of our power unit performance, but everyone worked well to maximise our outcomes, which were four championship points," he said.
"Monza, Madrid, and Baku were very tough races for Honda. The gains aren’t huge, but we’re still trying to improve."
Orihara told AS that the wet conditions had unexpectedly helped Honda’s energy management.
"The interesting thing is that, in rainy conditions, we didn’t lack energy," he said. "We can take that learning to Singapore, where there might also be enough battery power."
Aston Martin’s Mike Krack cautioned against reading too much into the improved weekend.
"In Madrid and Baku we were nowhere, so now we need to keep our feet on the ground," he said.
Alonso, however, believes Singapore could offer another opportunity.
"I’m absolutely optimistic," said the Spaniard, who is staying with the team for 2027.
"It’s a better track for our characteristics than Malaysia. It was an encouraging performance, and we’re looking to repeat... or even improve."