S2 E2: Honda's aborted 1999 F1 team

Honda nearly entered F1 with its own full works team in 2000, and in preparation for that it ran a test car in early 1999 with Jos Verstappen behind the wheel. The project was part of its evaluation of an F1 project, but two months after the car ran alongside most of the grid in pre-season testing, the idea was canned and Honda signed a works engine deal with BAR instead. Glenn Freeman is joined by Gary Anderson and Scott Mitchell to look back on the 1999 Honda project, from early discussions with Eddie Jordan about buying his team (and why he turned the offer down), how it put together a test team under the guidance of Harvey Poselthwaite, why Poselthwaite's HRD group pitched for a budget as big as Ferrari's and the possible impact that had on the direction of Honda's F1 ambitions, and how the Japanese manufacturer's mind was already made up before Poselthwaite's untimely death when the test car was still running in April. We then look at how the BAR deal came together, how Flavio Briatore tried to stop it, and why Honda chose to partner up with the team that was new to the grid in 1999.HAVE YOUR SAY: Ask a question by leaving us a review on your podcast platform, or use #BringBackV10s on Twitter to submit a question for our series finale, where we'll talk about whatever you want from F1 1989-2005. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.