Verstappen's feedback is key to Honda's progress

Honda F1 program director Masashi Yamamoto praised the feedback from Max Verstappen, who helped them make continuous progress in the process of working together.

Honda struggled in the early years after returning to F1, where they were widely criticised for lacking power while supplying the McLaren power unit, which eventually led to Fernando Alonso insulting them with "GP2 engines". But Honda's performance has improved year by year, and their partnership with Red Bull has earned the Dutchman his first world title, and they say Verstappen's feedback on their work "accelerates our powerplant development".

In an interview, Yamamoto said: "There is no need to say anything about his performance, it's fantastic. But it's not just about his performance, his feedback is also good, Max is a very fast driver and this kind of driver's feedback is very useful. Yes, it has certainly accelerated our progress over the past few years. All four (Red Bull) drivers gave us good feedback, especially Max. ”

Yamamoto has previously said their conflict with McLaren helped them reach a fruitful supply deal with Red Bull and Red Bull Jr., which also led to their important bright spots in F1 later in F1.

Yamamoto said: "Winning the championship is definitely my biggest highlight! Of course, I can't forget the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, when Max stood on the podium and pointed to the Honda logo, which made us all very excited. Another event that stood out very much for me was the Dutch Grand Prix for the 2021 season, which was wonderful for all of us, and Zandvoort was a crazy experience with all the people in orange. ”

Yamamoto wants to see Honda return to F1 again in the future, and he wants the company's young employees to show enthusiasm for the sport so that the company's top management can consider returning to F1.