Breaking news
Formula 1
Honda's Tanabe explains why he was late to Austria podium
Honda technical director Toyoharu Tanabe was late onto the Austrian Grand Prix podium because he had "no idea" what to do after his company's first Formula 1 win since 2006.
Scott Mitchell
Edited: Jul 1, 2019, 1:24 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Max Verstappen won Red Bull's home race in spectacular fashion to give his team its first win since partnering with Honda for the 2019 season.
It is Honda's first victory since returning to F1 in 2015 and its first since Jenson Button's breakthrough victory with the works team in 2006.
Read Also:
- Vettel/Verstappen incident comparision "apples and oranges" - FIA
- Austrian GP: Verstappen edges Leclerc in thrilling race
Tanabe, who was appointed Honda's F1 technical director in late-2017 and has overseen major improvements in its trackside operations, was chosen to go on the podium to represent the winning manufacturer.
However, he missed the Dutch and Austrian national anthems and only arrived in time to receive the trophy.
"I was surprised when I was told 'you go' [to the podium]," Tanabe said when asked by Motorsport.com about being the man on the rostrum.
"I had no idea what I should do. That's why I got on the podium a little later than the others. You need to stand before the national anthem, I thought, 'I must be there', but I was late.
"This is the first time, of course. [I thought] 'I'm so upset, what should I do?'
"Nobody told me! But it was fantastic. I could see our team members below, also Red Bull, they were very happy, and a lot of fans there too."
After lifting the trophy, Tanabe was hugged on the podium by DTM boss and ex-F1 driver Gerhard Berger.
Tanabe's first Honda F1 role was as Berger's engineer at McLaren back in 1990.
The ex-Honda IndyCar technical chief paid tribute to the company's staff in Japan and UK for working "tirelessly" so that "we finally made it", and also Toro Rosso for the role Red Bull's junior team played in helping Honda "get back on the right path last year".
"Honda has not done this alone and so we want to acknowledge the contribution of our outside suppliers," said Tanabe.
"This win is also a way of saying thank you to all our fans, all over the world, for their continued support. We have been back in this sport since 2015, but today feels like a new beginning.
"While we can enjoy the celebrations for a short while, we must get back to work as soon as possible, because we still need to close our performance gap to the quickest teams."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Vettel/Verstappen incident comparision "apples and oranges" - FIA
Next article Sainz apologised for being "rude" before Austrian GP
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Red Bull Racing
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
16 h
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
The hidden factor that gives Max Verstappen and Red Bull extra hope for 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
19 h
The hidden factor that gives Max Verstappen and Red Bull extra hope for 2027
Latest news
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 1 h
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Charlotte II
11 h
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
12 h
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
15 h
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe