Honda: 'Will do all it can to support him"

“Last year the mid-field competition was tougher than in previous years and a very small performance gap could make a big difference in the results," Tanabe told AlphaTauri's official channels. However, the top man knows that the competition has not been idle either and so he expects another year of strong competition.

Both parties will do everything they can to move towards the top-five in the Constructors' Championship. "We are sure that Honda and AlphaTauri have progressed over our three years together and we are now truly one team, strong and united. Scuderia AlphaTauri’s support and cooperation played a key role in allowing Honda to become competitive in the hybrid era and we truly appreciate that."

In 2021, for the first time since Kamui Kobyashi in 2014, a Japanese driver will be back on the Formula One grid. "I expect he may encounter situations and difficulties he has never experienced before," Tanabe said, continuing his story: "He will be the centre of a lot of attention, especially from Japan, which will possibly be extra pressure for him, but I hope he continues with his aggressive style of racing in F1 as well. Honda will do all it can to support him.”