Red Bull’s technical partnership with Honda has been extended until the end of the current Formula One engine regulations in 2025.
The Honda brand pulled out of F1 at the end of last year but has continued to supply Red Bull with its power units this season via a subsidiary company called Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).
Red Bull already had a contract in place with HRC to continue to receive support until the end of 2023, and that contract has now been extended until the end of 2025 at which point a new set of engine regulations will be introduced for 2025.
Honda initially left F1 to concentrate its research and development resources on carbon-neutral technologies. But because engine performance is frozen in F1 until the end of 2025, Honda is confident it can continue to manufacture and supply Red Bull with power units without diverting extra resources away from its R&D department.
“We thank Honda for their positive response to working together,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said. “We are excited to continue our partnership in F1 until the end of 2025 with the PU supplied by Honda.
“We have had a successful relationship so far, winning the drivers’ championship in 2021 and currently leading the drivers’ and teams’ classifications, with the aim of securing both 2022 titles.”
Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, added: “We have agreed to continue supporting Red Bull Power Trains in Formula One through HRC, following Red Bull’s request to extend our current agreement, which HRC can meet within its existing resources.
“Once again, we aim to use our involvement in the pinnacle of motorsport for the development of technologies and of our workforce.”
Red Bull is in talks with Porsche about a joint venture in F1 from 2026, which could see Porsche buy 50 percent of the F1 team and contribute to engine development at Red Bull’s new powertrains department in Milton Keynes. After Honda announced its departure from F1, Red Bull decided to invest in its own powertrain department that has been set up on its campus and will produce the team’s engines from 2026 onwards with or without car manufacturer support.
Source: www.espn.com