There were tears of joy for Honda bosses after the company scored their first Formula 1 win since 2006 at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Following three tough seasons with McLaren and a year of progress at Toro Rosso, all the hard work paid off as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen moved from fourth to first to take victory in Spielberg.
“We finally made it,” technical director Toyoharu Tanabe declared. “This win is also a way of saying thank you to all our fans, all over the world, for their continued support.
“We have been back in this sport since 2015, but today feels like a new beginning. We keep pushing very hard towards the end of the season and next year as well.”
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Verstappen also paid tribute to Honda and their journey back to the top step of the podium.
“It’s not been easy for them in the past but today it’s been incredible, so I’m very happy for them,” said the Dutchman.
Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also commended the Japanese manufacturer of their achievement.
“I was so happy for Honda to win its first race. After so many difficult years winning is just what they deserved,” he said.
“Seeing him [Tanabe] with the tears in his eyes up there is great and Honda had so much success in Formula 1 and they’re back on the winners step, I’m looking forward to some great battles.
It was also noted to the Austrian that their victory on Sunday means Honda has now won a race before Ferrari in 2019, the current benchmark in engine performance.
“I think Ferrari was really unfortunate three times already [this season],” Wolff admitted.
“Today the Red Bull-Honda was the quickest car on track. We never saw our performance because we were racing with our hands tied behind our backs, but between Ferrari and Honda, today Honda was the best.”
