Red Bull to take over Honda engine after F1 development

Red Bull have made a bold gamble for their F1 future after the sport’s governing body cleared the path in the wake of Honda’s exit.

Red Bull have finally announced who will supplier their engines until 2025, taking over the Honda engine which has powered it since 2019.

The Red Bull and Alpha Tauri teams had used the power units but after Honda revealed it would exit the sport again in 2021, Red Bull have been looking at their options.

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With the next engine regulatory changed coming in 2025, the teams have been looking to get the FIA to freeze engine development from 2022 onward so it could take over the engine in-house.

Just last week, the FIA voted unanimously to freeze engine development from 2022 to the end of the 2024 season, allowing Red Bull to reveal it was forming Red Bull Powertrains Limited.

“The proposal was unanimously agreed by all teams and power unit manufacturers,” the FIA said in a press release.

“As such, engine development will be frozen from the start of 2022.”

It will mean that Red Bull will continue to use the Honda engines and will not be supplied by one of the other engines suppliers.

The move also aims to reduce costs and make the sport more attractive to new engine manufacturers.

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It ends a long drama after Honda announced it was leaving the sport in October last year to “allocate its energy management and fuel technologies as well as knowledge amassed through F1 activities to this area of power unit and energy technologies and take initiatives while focusing on the future realisation of carbon neutrality”.

After a bitter split with former engine supplier Renault in 2018, coinciding with Daniel Ricciardo‘s departure, Red Bull has been the only team has been the only team to really challenge Mercedes’ dominance.

As Red Bull were exploring their options, it appeared as though Mercedes, who supply Aston Martin (formerly Racing Point), Williams and now McLaren, and Ferrari, who supply Haas and Alfa Romeo, weren’t too interested in working with Red Bull.

If Red Bull couldn’t find another option, it would have been forced to go back to Renault, who supply their works team, which is now called Alpine.

But at the announcement of the new powertrain operation, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said it was “a significant step for Red Bull in its Formula One journey”.

“We were understandably disappointed when Honda made the decision to leave the sport as an engine manufacturer, as our relationship yielded immediate success, but we are grateful for their support in facilitating this new agreement,” he said.

“Honda has invested significantly in hybrid technology to ensure the supply of competitive power units to both teams. We now begin the work of bringing the power unit division in-house and integrating the new facilities and personnel into our Technology Campus.

“In the meantime, we are fully focused on achieving the best possible results in what will be Honda’s final season as an official power unit supplier.”

AlphaTauri’s Franz Tost, Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner and Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko.

Social media was quick to respond to the move with some believing it was great news, while others believing it could be the beginning of the end for the team.

Soooo....

Red Bull will essentially pull apart a Honda engine in-house, look at it, and say "how hard can it be?"#F1 https://t.co/J0oh8JcPxD

— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) February 15, 2021

Good move all round this. Important that both Red Bull and Alpha Tauri have the same PU, and a better option than a switch back to Renault. Now to get former Mercedes HPP boss Andy Cowell to run the project - that gardening leave has to be coming to an end soon https://t.co/pXp9AFSx5c

— David Croft (@CroftyF1) February 15, 2021

So who’s betting against me here? Redbull will be 2022 world champions using “Honda” engines and getting all the praise and Honda is forgotten for all the F1 efforts and investments made for years and years. Hmmm I feel like I’ve seen something similar before... (Brawn GP) #F1 https://t.co/AU3AssAcHC

— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) February 15, 2021

Good and encouraging move for Red Bull Racing, who form a new powertrain company to take on Honda's F1 engine.

— Ben Hunt (@benjhunt) February 15, 2021