Mutual trust between Honda and Red Bull: 'Our aim is to keep winning'

20 February 2023 at 16:34

Last update 20 February 2023 at 17:50

GPblog.com

The successful partnership between Red Bull Racing and Honda is definitely at an end after the 2025 Formula 1 season, but until then both parties will do everything they can to continue achieving as much success together as possible. The Japanese engine supplier assured this at a press meeting announcing the departure of front-runner Yasuaki Asaki.

In 2026, Red Bull will enter into a partnership with Ford, but for the next three F1 seasons, the team will continue to work closely with Honda. On the weekend of the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, the two sides even announced that they would intensify their cooperation. As part of this, the engines in 2023 will be called Honda RBPT, as announced at the time.

Mutual trust between Honda and Red Bull

"The power unit’s name has changed – it’s now a Red Bull Powertrains power unit – but the technology or the IP is really Honda’s," the outgoing Asaki is quoted by Racer.com. "The manufacturing of this power unit is still going to be mainly done by Honda."

Honda plans to start supplying engines to another F1 team in 2026, but nothing is fixed about that yet. Until then, the Japanese manufacturer will focus entirely on getting good results with Red Bull. "Honda and Red Bull until 2025 will continue to have trust and a great partnership and we aim to win the championship until 2025," said HRC president Koji Watanabe.

"After 2026 and onward Red Bull will partner with Ford and we are not in a position to say anything about that. But in other racing series we have the partnership with Red Bull, so we continue to work together," Watanabe said.