F1: Honda gets last laugh on Alonso

After a six-season absence from the F1 grid, Honda returned to the sport in 2015 with McLaren with Fernando Alonso denouncing Honda as a “GP2 engine, GP2!” at their home race in Japan in 2015.

That was a major insult to the proud Japanese and Honda were so pissed off they stopped Alonso from using their engines in the Indy 500 again.

The Red Bull team then did a deal to run the Honda engines in 2019.

Verstappen claimed three race wins in Red Bull’s first year with Honda power, two the following season (2020) and a year later in 2021 won 10 on his way to a first World title.

Now in 2022 Red Bull and Honda have won 14 of 18 races, and the Red Bull cars are the fastest car on the straights, regularly blowing past Alonso’s Alpine Renault like it was standing still. Even Mercedes and Ferrari cannot match the Honda power on the straights.

He who laughs last, laughs loudest.