Koji Watanabe, the long-time boss of Honda's racing activities under HRC, will retire on 1 January 2027, with Keiichi Yasuda appointed as his successor.
A long-time Honda employee after first joining the Japanese marque in 1987, Watanabe became the head of Honda's racing division in 2022. In that time Watanabe oversaw the company's merger of its four-wheel and two-wheel divisions as well as its U-turn on the decision to leave F1, returning as a works partner of Aston Martin for the 2026 regulations.
