The Japanese manufacturer recently announced an official return to F1 with Aston Martin for 2026, with it having originally intended to quit the series entirely so it could focus on electric road car development.
The U-turn marks another step in the stop-start nature of Honda in F1, with it having had four official eras so far – 1964-68, 1983-92, 2000-08 and 2015-21.
Since 2022, it has supplied engines to the Red Bull team as part of an arrangement it made with the Milton Keynes-based squad.
That history has made it obvious to question whether or not Honda will stick around this time, especially amid increasingly tough competition at the front from rival manufacturers.
However, a change in the way Honda’s F1 activities are managed last year, with it coming under the HRC banner alongside its motorbike racing activities rather than directly under the road car division, has been singled out as quite significant.
Speaking this week, HRC president Koji Watanabe said that having everything under a motorsport division should help deliver it a clearer path to continued participation.
"I can't promise that we will never quit for the future, but we want to keep doing it as long as possible," he said.
"Up until now, F1 has taken the form of a 'project' within Honda R&D, but that meant there was a problem with continuity.
Source: Autosport