Toyoharu Tanabe was a welcome visitor to the Austrian Grand Prix podium on Sunday and the Honda F1 tech boss was appropriately drenched in bubbly as Red Bull celebrated its sixth win of the season.
Honda's trying times with McLaren when it returned to F1 in 2015 and the hardship it endured are but a distant memory, buried under a collection of wins that will allow the Japanese manufacturer to leave F1 at the end of the season with its head held high, regardless of the outcome of the championship.
As the man who led the development of Honda's power unit from a fragile and gutless piece of hardware to a mighty and robust power plant, while putting up with waves of mockery and contempt along the way, Tanabe-san deserves full marks, for his expertise and guidance but also for remaining well planted and composed during the lean years. A class act.
