Honda CEO cynical about Ferrari: "Were they a team that cheated?"

Time with McLaren

Yasuaki Asaki is head of engine development at Honda and revealed he shouldn't even be in Formula 1 anymore. "I was about to retire, but then we got the [deal] with McLaren," the Japaneseman looks back on the difficult collaboration with McLaren between 2015 and 2017.

Overcoming Setbacks

Asaki did not want to say goodbye to the sport in the way things went at McLaren. "I was afraid that if it continued like this, Honda would leave the sport without winning a race," Asaki is quoted by Motorsport-Total. "Then I looked back at my long career as a Honda engineer and thought, 'How did I do this before?'"

Asaki looks back on his early days at Honda: "When I joined the team, we competed and won against Porsche, BMW, Ferrari and Renault. That thought gave me confidence and I was able to overcome any setbacks."

Switch to Red Bull

In 2018, Honda made the switch from McLaren to Toro Rosso [now AlphaTauri] and a year later also to Red Bull Racing. There, Honda has found its way back to the top again. "We finally managed to win again," said a jubilant Asaki.

Pierre Gasly's victory at Monza was a special highlight for Asaki. "It was great to see AlphaTauri win as well, because they were the ones who knocked on our door to get into the partnership, whereas we were completely in the dark with McLaren."

Distrust for Ferrari

Finally, there is a word on Ferrari and the accusations of driving an illegal car. "I won't say who, but was there a team that was tampering with the fuel flow?" Asaki, who still disturts the Italians, said.