13/09/2017
NEWS STORY
As we await official confirmation on a series of moves which will not only impact the 2018 grid but possibly the remainder of this season, F1 boss Chase Carey believes Honda is fully committed to the sport.
Although all those involved in a saga which will reportedly see McLaren switch to Renault and Honda power Toro Rosso - not to mention Carlos Sainz leaving Faenza for Enstone, are keeping schtum, the anticipation is palpable.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Carey told the All That Matters conference in the city-state that he is confident Honda is in F1 for the long haul.
"Honda's a very important partner," he said. "I had meetings with Honda executives at Monza and they seemed excited about where we're going with the sport.
"I'm not going to speak for Honda," he continued. "All I can say is, for us they seem committed to the future, seem excited by the future, seem excited about where we're going with the sport."
The American also used the opportunity to take a swipe at the grid penalty system which meant that at the Monza race, only one driver, Lewis Hamilton, actually started the race from the position in which he qualified.
"The penalty structure clearly has gotten to a place that nobody says is functioning the way we like, when we had the better part or half the grid with some sort of penalty that nobody could understand at Monza," he said.
"Technology is an important part of the sport," he continued, "but you don't want it to be a sport about engineering first and foremost. You want it to be a sport about drivers and great competition that utilises state-of-the-art competition."