Who would have expected that prior to qualifying. A dominant pole for Max Verstappen?! It came, to the delight of engine supplier Honda, who is working on her latest masterpiece in Formula 1. After Sunday they say goodbye, and they want to do that with a world title.
“That was our last qualifying,” technical director Toyoharu Tanabe begins his look back on Saturday. “Not just of the year, but for Honda in Formula 1. So it was great to take pole with Max, his tenth of the season.”
For Honda it was the first time in thirty years that they managed to capture 10 pole positions in a season. “A truly fantastic result, which could be due to his own performance, but also to great teamwork from Red Bull. Checo gave him a beautiful, significant slipstream”, Tanabe-san enjoys his Red Bull drivers.
–
Honda only has one job
With a view to the race, Honda knows that Verstappen has only one task for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “We know what we have to do for the title fight: finish in front of our rival,” he refers to Lewis Hamilton.
“Both Red Bull Hondas will start on the soft tyre, while Mercedes will start on the medium tyre, so it will be interesting to see how that unfolds,” said the Japanese, whose team responsible for the engine will work around the clock. to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“There are different strategies, so from a power unit point of view, we have to be flexible and ready for any team decision. This is Honda’s last race in Formula 1, so we’re going to do everything we can to win a title.” so we can close this chapter without regret,” said Tanabe.
– .
