It has been reported that Honda may “officially” resume F1 activities as HRC (Honda Racing) in 2026.
Currently, championship-leading Red Bull Racing is using engines designed and built by Honda following the company officially exits F1 at the end of 2021, and will continue to use these engines until the end of the current rules cycle in 2025. continues to use the engine of
Red Bull has set up a new powertrain company, Red Bull Powertrains, to build its first in-house F1 engine for 2026, and the facility has already grown to over 300 staff.
Porsche wanted to be equal partners with Red Bull in terms of engine and team from 2026 onwards, but negotiations ended when Red Bull did not want to give up control.
Whatever the exact order, it’s speculated that things changed significantly around mid-2022. Such a deal was removed from the table entirely, as Red Bull may have cooled off as an organization and the implications of selling half its stake to Porsche were questioned.
It is also understood that leaked documents revealing Porsche’s interest in a 50% acquisition at the end of July prompted Honda to get involved once more.
Red Bull and Honda have virtually had a conversation with no fixed starting or ending point, as the partnership continues behind the scenes since Honda officially pulled out of F1.
The prospect of Red Bull selling half of its business to Porsche and closing the possibility of Honda returning to F1 as Red Bull’s partner in 2026 provoked a reaction from HRC and accelerated discussions regarding what kind of partnership might be possible. It seems
The specific interest from HRC suggested that a more attractive partnership would be possible without explicit support from the Honda board. Meanwhile, there were arguments within Red Bull that it would be a mistake to partner with Porsche.
This was probably aided by Porsche’s delays while waiting for the technical regulations to be 100% resolved, and the need to obtain approval from the Volkswagen Group’s board of directors.
Volkswagen’s executive appointments also raised concerns for Red Bull. It was revealed in late July that then-Volkswagen chairman Herbert Diess, who approved the Porsche/Audi program, would be replaced by Porsche chairman Oliver Blume.
“Don’t you think that’s always a concern?” Christian Horner admitted of whether the change in leadership had an impact on negotiations.
“Stability is always important and you have to always look ahead. OEMs have a tradition of coming and going.”
“Red Bull has demonstrated its commitment to the sport, not only through Red Bull Racing, but through its investment and sponsorship of Sauber before it.
“Red Bull is committed to the business and is probably the biggest investor in Formula 1 considering its two Grand Prix teams, one Grand Prix and all the promotions it offers globally.”
“It’s a fundamental part of the company’s marketing strategy. OEMs tend to rotate, but our strategy is with the long-term stability of the company in mind.”
For a variety of reasons, Red Bull decided they had no intention of selling anything, including Red Bull Racing itself, Red Bull Technology, Red Bull Powertrains.
There is hope for a Porsche entry in 2026, but that’s easier said than done. Even if he finds a new team to partner with, the biggest problem is on the engine side and Porsche has very little time to find a solution.
The future looks much better for Red Bull. You can go it alone or find a new partner, as there was always a choice. The latter is more likely, and the process has already begun at Honda.
HRC is believed to be very keen to make a deal with Red Bull Powertrains for the hybrid part of the engine for 2026.
In fact, HRC may have tentatively agreed to do just that, subject to board approval, reports The Race.
If there’s anything to be learned from the Porsche debacle, it’s that these conversations can easily come to naught. But the key difference is that Red Bull actually wants something tangible from Honda, which immediately raises the possibility of a positive outcome.
“We did our due diligence and felt that we were actually in good shape,” Horner said.
“And technically, we don’t feel any real disadvantage to our competitors because of the hires we’ve made.”
“Confidence? Yes Arrogance? Maybe. Time will tell if it’s misplaced. But as far as Red Bull is concerned Porsche, beyond the brand and the finances, has delivered very little.”
Red Bull Powertrains is outfitted with high-tech equipment to produce a high-quality F1 engine in 2026, but its main achievement so far has been producing the first V6 test engine on the dynamo. , mainly regarding whether it can handle the hybrid aspects of the MGU-H and the battery.
Red Bull Racing’s F1 team principal Christian Horner insists the company is “in a position to hire, invest and be equipped to do it all”.
However, if Honda decides to re-enter F1, he is willing to cooperate with Honda.
“Our train has left the station for 2026. The engines and prototypes are running, all Dynanos have been commissioned and are in operation,” said Christian Horner.
“Honda are a great company and have announced their exit from F1 in order to move away from the internal combustion engine and focus on electrification of their products.
“So if they are looking to return to F1, I would think they would have to take that into consideration.”
“Whether there’s potential interest on the battery side and potential synergies, it might be an interesting discussion.”
“But in terms of engine combustion and mechanical aspects, we are very happy with our roadmap to 2026.”
This is Christian Horner’s strong suggestion that Red Bull Powertrain should consider to some extent outsourcing the non-V6 part of its F1 power unit.
This is not a big surprise, given that the F1 engine project is rife with allegedly silent partners and third-party suppliers.
Honda is a positive partner, but it remains to be seen whether the type of arrangement Red Bull wants is compatible with Honda.
First, work on Honda’s energy recovery system on the turbo-hybrid F1 engine took place at the Milton Keynes facility, which was sold to Red Bull as part of the engine continuation project beyond 2022.
And while Honda’s expertise in the Sakura is primarily on the internal combustion engine side, this might work as the company is moving towards hybridisation as part of its push for carbon-neutral technology.
It’s unclear what the Red Bull-Honda partnership means for F1’s ‘new manufacturer’ regulations.
It might affect whether Red Bull Powertrains is eligible for additional dynamo hours and higher spending limits. A V6 designed and built by Red Bull Powertrains would likely meet the definition, even if its ERS partner is an established F1 manufacturer.
There’s also the not-so-small issue that, officially, Honda is not considering a return to F1 in 2026. At least not at the board level.
However, Honda’s racing arm, HRC (Honda Racing), is still working closely with Red Bull and there have been discussions regarding what might be possible from 2026 onwards, reports The Race.
Christian Horner stressed that Red Bull Powertrains “does not rely on or rely on other potential partnerships”, but admitted that it would be “silly not to listen” to stakeholders. there is
“But it needs to fit strategically and complement what we are doing to ensure we follow the same roadmap that Red Bull Powertrain is working on,” he added.
Category: F1 / honda f1 / red bull
