In a massive turn up for the books for Red Bull Racing and sister team Alpha Tauri. Honda have decided to back down on their departure from F1 until the end of the current regulations (end of 2025)
It was initially agreed that Honda would help Red Bull Powertrains in building engines in Japan and provide pitlane support up to the end of the 2022 season. Where upon RBP would take over the construction theirselves. But thanks to the success of the team in 2021, Honda have had a change of heart.
“We have now also found a completely different solution to the one originally envisaged,”
“The engines will be manufactured in Japan until 2025, we will not touch them at all. That means that the rights and all these things will remain with the Japanese, which is important for 2026 because it makes us newcomers.
“In the course of our ever greater successes, a certain rethinking has taken place among the Japanese. And also that they could of course use the battery knowledge for their electrification phase.
“It was initially planned that they would only make our motors for 2022. Now it has been decided that this will continue until 2025, which is of course a huge advantage for us. This means we only have to make fine adjustments and calibrations.”
Helmet Marko
Red Bull Powertrains will now be free to focus their efforts on their 2026 project.