Max Verstappen, driver for Oracle Red Bull Racing, for which Honda is a team partner, clinched his third consecutive drivers’ world championship on Saturday, October 7 local time, by earning enough points in the F1 Sprint(1) race for the Qatar Grand Prix 2023, the 18th round of the 2023 FIA(2) Formula One (F1) World Championship.
After this Sprint race, with 6 Grands Prix remaining for the season, including the Qatar Grand Prix race on Sunday local time, Verstappen clinched his title with a total of 13 Grand Prix wins, including 10 straight wins(3) that set the record for most consecutive wins in the history of F1 racing.
For the 2023 season, as a team partner, Honda has been providing technical support and cooperating in marketing activities with Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. As part of the technical support, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is manufacturing and supplying all power unit (PU) components except for the ESS(4) to Red Bull Powertrains(5) and supporting the operations of the PUs throughout the season.
As this team partnership continues through the end of the 2025 season, both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri are planning to compete in F1 during the next two seasons using machines equipped with a PU, for which Honda will provide technical support.
Comment of Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)
“Max, congratulations on your third consecutive Drivers’ Championship! I enjoyed watching your overwhelming performance as champion throughout this season, including the unprecedented 10 straight wins. Since you captured your first drivers’ title two years ago, the best words to describe your performance have been not just ‘fast’ but ‘strong,’ and everyone agrees that winning your third consecutive title was a no doubter. Honda and HRC are proud to be able to support your third consecutive title, and HRC will continue to be dedicated to providing support to you, Max, and both the Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri race teams while aiming at even greater heights in the future.”
(1) The F1 Sprint is a shorter race – approximately 100km or 62 miles – that takes place on the day before the Grand Prix. The winners are awarded about one-third of the points winners can earn in the Grand Prix.
(2) Fédération Internationale de lʼAutomobile.
(3) Ten consecutive wins from the 5th round Miami Grand Prix to the 15th round Italian Grand Prix (excluding the 6th round Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which was cancelled).
(4) Energy Storage System, the battery system that stores recovered electric energy.
(5) A Red Bull Group company that produces F1 power units. For the current version of the PUs, PBPT is responsible for producing and operating the ESS.
For more information, visit https://global.honda/en/topics/2023/4e_2023-10-09eng.html.
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