Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino said today at a lunch with foreign reporters that 2000 is likely to be the year of Honda's return to Formula One.

He said: "Some see it as only risky and expensive. I deeply believe our experience in racing competition is a basic reason for Honda's success. From that pressure comes progress, and it also speeds up decision-making. The most important speed in racing isn't just on the track. The real bottom line of racing competition is that it challenges our engineers."

Honda had already stated that it will return but how and in what form was not completely sure. Yoshino stated that two prototypes of a Formula One car will be ready in a month. The problem they face is that they lack experience in designing a car so this could postpone the entree date.

Yoshino stated: "The challenge of engines is not just speed, but efficiency. I think working with an organisation with a different culture would be difficult. So now we are choosing to go by ourselves."