Koji Watanabe:
"We've always shared the same goal: to reach the top. I'm incredibly grateful to have been able to work with such an exceptional driver, someone who treated our team with honesty and respect. That's something we greatly appreciate in him. And it's also why our collaboration has worked so well," Watanabe said. "Abu Dhabi was a very emotional weekend, after seven years of working together. On the one hand, we can't wait to begin our new adventures, but obviously it's also a somewhat sad moment."
"Max is incredibly popular in Japan. People now associate him with Honda, just like in the days of Senna. He has meant a lot to our company. His attitude and his faith in our engineers have always been motivating. Max will always be in our hearts," he added.
