It’s official: Verstappen hands Honda first win since 2006

“Honda!” Verstappen at the 2019 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix podium. PHOTO FROM HONDA MOTOR

IT WAS a racing incident, declared officials who investigated the contact between Red Bull Racing Honda’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as the former overtook the latter in the closing laps of the 2019 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix held on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring. The decision came about five hours after the race’s podium ceremonies were over, during which Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was crowned third, Leclerc second and Verstappen first.

Verstappen now keeps his win. This not only means he has won for Red Bull Racing two consecutive Austrian F1 races at the Red Bull Ring (he was the winner in 2018), but also that Verstappen has handed Honda the company’s first win since 2006.

Verstappen this year is driving a car using Honda’s RA619H power unit, and his win becomes Honda’s first victory in the current hybrid power era in F1. It also marked Honda’s 73rd win in F1.

“It is a great pleasure for us to win once more in Formula One, especially because getting to this point has not been straightforward since our return to the sport in 2015. First of all, I would like to thank Max and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing for this victory. Of course, we must also thank Scuderia Toro Rosso and all the drivers who have given so much support to the project, as well as all the suppliers and related parties,” said Honda Motor Co. CEO Takahiro Hachigo in a statement posted on the company’s online global newsroom.

The executive noted that racing in F1 was the dream of company founder Soichiro Honda, and so the sport is in the brand’s DNA.

“We went through some tough times over the past five years on the racetracks and in the factory. I am speechless when I think about the enormous effort from all the Honda staff involved in this project, who always believed in themselves and never gave up and finally reached today’s victory. I think this embodies our ‘Power of Dreams’ motto,” Hachigo said.

Regarding the decision on the contact between Verstappen and Leclerc, the officials were quoted in Formula1.com as saying:

“Car 33 [Verstappen] sought to overtake car 16 [Leclerc] at Turn 3 on lap 69 by out-braking car 16. When doing so, car 33 was alongside car 16 on the entry of the corner and was in full control of the car while attempting the overtaking move on the inside of car 16.

“However, both car 33 and car 16 proceeded to negotiate the corner alongside each other but there was clearly insufficient space for both cars to do so. Shortly after the late apex, while exiting the corner, there was contact between the two cars.

“In the totality of the circumstances, we did not consider that either driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident. We consider that this is a racing incident.”