Franz Tost Reflects on Successful Partnership with Honda
The Head of Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 Team Discusses the Collaborative Journey
As the end of the Formula One season approaches, Franz Tost, the esteemed team principal of Scuderia AlphaTauri, reflects on the pivotal partnership with Honda that has shaped the team’s success. Tost’s integral role in keeping Honda in F1 after McLaren’s contract cancellation in 2017 cannot be understated, as he played a vital part in convincing the Japanese automaker to continue their participation.
During those uncertain times, Scuderia Toro Rosso boldly allowed Honda to develop their power unit, a decision that came with grid penalties but ultimately paved the way for their collaboration with Red Bull Racing from 2019 onwards. The astonishing improvements witnessed in the reliability and competitiveness of Honda’s F1 power unit have defied expectations, culminating in Max Verstappen claiming the Driver’s title in 2021 and, in 2022, securing the Constructor’s title, solidifying Honda’s reputation as the powerhouse of the F1 engine world.
The momentum continues this season, with the Red Bull Racing-Honda partnership clinching a phenomenal 14 consecutive wins, surpassing the record previously held by McLaren-Honda. Verstappen’s outstanding performance also shattered Sebastian Vettel’s record of 10 consecutive wins, favorably propelling him into the history books. The Japanese Grand Prix held at Suzuka Circuit then witnessed Red Bull Racing’s F1 engines claim their 15th victory out of 16 races, resulting in their second consecutive constructors’ championship.
Against this backdrop, Tost was recently interviewed by Honda, where he reminisced on the collaborative relationship that has flourished between the two organizations. “I have had the privilege of knowing Honda for many years,” Tost recalled. “During my time in Japan, when Ralf Schumacher was racing in Formula Nippon, I had the opportunity to meet numerous individuals associated with Honda. I left with a deeply favorable impression of the company.”
He continued, “Honda’s remarkable achievements in the realm of Formula One speak for themselves. We have experienced firsthand the joys of victory and the taste of championship glory. The faith we placed in Honda’s ability to deliver a potent power unit capable of triumphing in Formula One has proven immeasurably fruitful.”
Since 2014, Tost asserts that they have maintained continuous communication with Honda even during the Japanese automaker’s struggles. “While many in the team expressed nervousness and apprehension when we decided to partner with Honda in 2017, questioning the rationale behind the collaboration, I responded with confidence, assuring them that we would see the fruits of our labor in five years’ time.”
True to Tost’s predictions, the collaboration between Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso has blossomed into a fruitful and open business relationship. Tost highlights the excellent technical collaboration, with engineers from both sides making multiple visits to each other’s bases, strengthening the rapport and propelling them towards victory.
With their formidable partnership with Red Bull Racing bearing fruit, Tost confidently declares that they are on the verge of clinching their third consecutive championship, setting their sights on a fourth triumph. “My belief that Honda is one of the foremost companies in the world has been vindicated,” he proudly asserts. “Honda’s consistent production of championship-winning power units has surpassed all expectations. We could not have wished for a more outstanding partner.”
Looking ahead, Tost emphasizes the cruciality of constantly developing the power unit, with a keen focus on both reliability and performance. “To win and clinch championships with Red Bull Racing, continuous improvements are imperative,” he states. “We must maintain a solid foundation in terms of reliability while simultaneously striving to enhance performance. Every race matters, and we approach each one with an unwavering commitment to progress.”
Tost further outlines their dedication to the development capabilities provided by Honda, highlighting the fruitful collaboration that has proven instrumental in achieving success: “Working closely with the engineers at Honda has been a pivotal and sage decision. By understanding and embracing their development process, we have managed to consistently elevate our performance from one race to the next. This ultimately culminated in our alliance with Red Bull Racing.”
As the curtain falls on this championship-winning season, Tost’s sentiments on the partnership with Honda serve as a testament to the remarkable journey they have undertaken together. With their sights firmly set on future triumphs, this fruitful collaboration shows no signs of slowing down.
Franz Tost, head of the Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team, spoke about the partnership with Honda. Franz Tost, who will retire as team principal at the end of this season, played an important role in keeping Honda in F1 after McLaren canceled its contract in 2017 and considered pulling out.
At the time, Scuderia Toro Rosso allowed Honda to develop the power unit despite receiving a grid penalty, paving the way for it to be supplied to Red Bull Racing from 2019. Subsequent improvements in the reliability and competitiveness of Honda’s F1 power unit have been surprisingly, with Max Verstappen winning the Driver’s title in 2021 and the Constructor’s title in 2022, in an F1 sense He won the title of the strongest engine. That continues this season, with the partnership between Red Bull Racing and Honda securing 14 consecutive wins this season, breaking the previous record held by McLaren-Honda. Verstappen set a new record of 10 consecutive wins, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s season record. Then, at the Japanese Grand Prix held at Suzuka Circuit, Red Bull Racing and Honda’s F1 engines took their 15th win out of 16 races, achieving their second constructors’ championship in a row. Former Japanese F1 GP, Franz Tost gave a video interview with Honda and talked about his collaborative relationship with Honda. “I have known Honda for many years,” said Franz Tost. “I lived in Japan when Ralf Schumacher was racing in Formula Nippon. At that time, I met many people involved with Honda. I had a good impression of Honda. “We all know that Honda has achieved great results in F1. We have both won and won championships. We believed that Honda could create a power unit that could win in F1.” “Since 2014, we have been in constant contact with Honda. At that time, Honda was struggling, but we were confident that if we worked together well, we could win together. When we decided to partner with Honda in 2017, many on the team were nervous, he said, “Why are you working with Honda? Things will be difficult from now on.” he replied, “We will see the results in five years.”“Since 2017, we have built a great cooperative relationship with Honda. We also have an open business relationship. On the technical side, the collaboration between Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso has been excellent. Scuderia Toro Rosso engineers have visited Sakura many times, and Honda engineers have come to Faenza. Good. Our strong collaborative relationship and communication led to our victory and championship. leadership team that, by working together with Red Bull Racing, we would win even more races and become a champion. The relationship with Red Bull Racing was successful, and we are about to win our 3rd championship in a row, and we are in a position to aim for our 4th victory in a row. I was right in my belief that Honda is one of the companies best in the world. Honda has created a power unit that wins championships again and again. We had high expectations. I’m very happy that Red Bull Racing and Honda have been successful together. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner.” “Reliability is important, and so is performance. We have come a long way. If we want to win and win championships with Red Bull Racing, we need to constantly develop the power unit. This is important. We need a solid foundation in terms of reliability.” “Improve performance. We also need the same. every race. It doesn’t matter if you start last.”It did. Almost. We make upgrades for every race and last start, which was exactly as we had calculated. With this pace of development in 2018, we were able to supply power units to Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2019 and 2020.” “We needed to improve performance and we needed development capabilities. Sakura Engineers At the end of 2018 and in 2019, the collaboration with Honda proved to be an important and correct decision. We wanted to understand the development process. It was important to provide better performance from race to race. That was the deciding factor in choosing Red Bull Racing from Honda.Honda developed the power unit in the best possible way. They saw us as a reliable partner to develop it.”
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