Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner says Honda’s desire to become an independent power unit maker has not faded even as Honda appears to be aiming to return to F1 in 2026.
Honda, which started supplying F1 engines to Red Bull in 2019, officially withdrew from F1 at the end of 2021 to concentrate on “realizing carbon neutral by 2050”, but provided technical support to Red Bull’s powertrain division. and continues to manufacture the F1 power unit currently used by Red Bull and Alpha Tauri in Japan.
Red Bull Racing has won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in a dominant fashion for 2022. Thanks to the successful partnership, the first technical contract between Red Bull Powertrains and Honda, which provides support until the end of 2023, has been extended until the end of 2025.
However, Honda has indicated its intention to register as a manufacturer in the 2026 F1 regulations and return to F1 in the near future. Nevertheless, Horner said Red Bull would push ahead with plans to build its own F1 power unit, already invested at the team’s Milton Keynes site, and expressed a desire to have the chassis and engine divisions work together. repeated.
“Of course it’s great that Honda is committed to 2025,” Horner told RacingNews365.com.
“We’ve been looking at possibilities for 2025 and beyond, but the reality is that we need to have everything under one roof.”
“We have made an investment, made a commitment within Red Bull Powertrains and hired a specialist.”
“Our journey as a power unit manufacturer and independent engine facility will not be altered by Honda’s potential return to Formula 1 in 2026.”
“We have set the path and made the investment with commitment and in the long run it is absolutely the right decision because it gives us control over our own destiny.”
“Whether a manufacturer leaves or stays, we are not indebted to anyone. This allows chassis engineers and engine engineers to be integrated with each other on the same campus.”
Christian Horner applauds the partnership with Honda.
Before working with Honda, Red Bull used Renault’s F1 power unit from 2007 to 2018. The partnership was initially successful, with Red Bull and Renault sweeping every championship between 2010 and 2013, but the relationship between the two companies hit rocks at the start of the hybrid era in 2014. Red Bull has publicly criticized Renault for its lack of competitiveness on numerous occasions.
With the relationship between Red Bull and Renault falling apart, the Renault engine was badged TAG Heuer from 2016 to 2018 and no Renault decals were seen anywhere on the Red Bull chassis.
In contrast, the subsequent partnership between Red Bull and Honda was more friendly, and from the 2022 F1 Japan GP, the HONDA logo returned to Red Bull and Alpha Tauri F1 machines.
“After years of hard work, I suddenly found myself with a very ambitious partner who was completely performance-focused and ready to do everything possible to extract the best possible performance. ‘ said Christian Horner.
“We might see that commitment, that desire and the fact that it means a lot to every member of the Honda team.”
“Honda is a very passionate company within the racing sector, and you can see that across Sakura, and across the design and operations teams.”
Category: F1 / red bull / honda f1
