Honda admitted disappointment at not getting one of their cars onto the podium for their first Japanese Grand Prix as Red Bull’s supplier.
The owners of Suzuka have not won at their home circuit since 1991 but hopes were high that, certainly through Max Verstappen, a first podium since 2004 was the minimum they could hope for.
Unfortunately, despite introducing fresh engines in Sochi and using a new fuel in Japan, the best Honda could do was fourth through Alex Albon.
“We managed to get three of our four cars into the top ten in the morning qualifying, which was satisfactory,” technical director Toyoharu Tanabe commented.
“But Verstappen’s realistic chance of a podium disappeared almost immediately after his collision with [Charles] Leclerc, which led to him retiring in the garage with a badly damaged floor.
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“For his first visit to Suzuka, Albon did exceptionally well as did [Pierre] Gasly, who finished in the points after just missing out on the top 10 last year.”
Despite the disrupted schedule due to Typhoon Hagibis, Honda could still reflect on a success Japanese GP off the track.
“It was great to see the grandstand with 12,000 Honda fans and overall, a bigger crowd than in recent years. Everyone in the Honda team appreciated their support,” Tanabe said.
“Today’s result did not live up to our expectations, so we want to come back stronger next year and give our fans something more to cheer about.”