Honda has promoted protégé Yuki Tsunoda to the Formula 2 championship for the upcoming 2020 season.
As with other major marques Honda has its own driver development programme, and long-term is aiming for one of its Japanese youngsters to reach Formula 1.
Nobuharu Matsushita, Nirei Fukuzumi and Tadasuke Makino all reached Formula 2 level, backed by Honda, with Matsushita its most successful protégé so far.
Tsunoda, the 2018 Formula 4 champion in his native Japan, moved to Europe-based competition for 2019 in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
![Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lando-Norris-Oscar-Piastri-McLaren-F1-2025-1-120x86.webp)
Tsunoda competed for Jenzer and finished ninth in the standings, with one victory in Italy, and claimed a further two podiums.
On Friday Honda confirmed that 19-year-old Tsunoda will graduate to Formula 2 this season, racing for Carlin.
Fellow Honda-backed 2019 Formula 3 racer Teppei Natori has been moved to the Japan-based Super Formula Lights championship.
Honda has also recruited two young drivers in the form of reigning Japanese F4 champion Ren Sato and scholarship winner Ayumu Iwasa, and they will race in French F4.
