Back in 2015, Honda made a return to F1 as McLaren’s engine manufacturer. However, it was not a smooth transition back into the motorsport world for the Japanese company, who were publicly shamed by Fernando Alonso during their home grand prix.
The 2015 McLaren was one of the slowest and most unreliable cars on the grid. They finished P9 in the constructors’ championship, scoring just 27 points all season, and DNFing a total of 14 times. The unreliability and quality of the engine caused two-time F1 champion, Fernando Alonso, to snap on the radio at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso fired shots at Honda’s engine during the Japanese GP
At the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix – Honda’s home race – Fernando Alonso gave us an all-time radio message. When Max Verstappen blew past him on the straight to take P10, he went on the radio claiming the Honda engine was comparable to a GP2 engine, the feeder series which is now Formula 2.
“They pass me on the straights like in GP2,” Alonso said on the radio. “It’s embarrassing, very embarrassing.” He also yelled “GP2 Engine! GP2!” followed by a frustrated grunt.
LAP 28/53:
Verstappen passes Alonso to take P10
ALONSO TO MCLAREN: “GP2 engine. GP2. Aargh!” #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/EJAIZ8MFU7
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 27, 2015
Despite that message, Alonso went on to finish P11 in the race, which matched his third-best result of the season. The reaction was more a culmination of the entire season. The engine was so poor and unreliable that Alonso scored just 11 points and DNFed eight times, including four in a row from Monaco to Austria.
Five years later, in an interview with Motorsport.com, Alonso was asked about his comments. He said it came from a place of frustration, and he didn’t intend for it to become public.
“It came from a place of frustration and maybe I should not say that, but I didn’t say it in the TV pen or the press conference,” Alonso told Motorsport.com in 2020. “I was talking to my engineer in a private conversation. It was not meant to be public. But the engine was very bad.”
The broadcast picked it up and broadcast it to the world, embarrassing Honda at their home grand prix. Honda would provide McLaren with engines until 2018, when the two decided to go their separate ways.
Honda’s success since McLaren split
After the two split, Honda signed a contract with Toro Rosso to become their engine supplier in 2018. After a year with Red Bull’s junior team, Honda also became Red Bull’s engine supplier in 2019.
Their partnership blossomed quickly. Within a couple of years, they helped Max Verstappen and Red Bull win their first driver’s championship since 2013 in 2021. The two went on to win both championships in 2022 and 2023 as well as the driver’s in 2024.
Despite their success, Red Bull is opting to create their engines in 2026, but that doesn’t mean Honda is leaving the support. With Adrian Newey now with the team, Aston Martin will start using Honda engines in 2026.
Aston Martin to Trial Adrian Newey’s 2026 Technologies on 2025 F1 Car
Honda’s return to Formula 1 in 2015 didn’t go as planned, but they were able to turn their fortunes around and become the most successful engine supplier of the ground effect era.
