Currently, the championship leader Red Bull Racing uses engines designed and built by Honda after the company officially exited F1 at the end of 2021 and will continue to use these engines until the end of the current rules cycle in 2025. continue to use the engine
Red Bull has created a new powertrain company, Red Bull Powertrains, to build its first in-house F1 engine for 2026, and the facility has already grown to over 300 employees.
Porsche wanted to be an equal partner with Red Bull in terms of engine and team from 2026 onwards, but the negotiations ended when Red Bull refused to give up control.
Whatever the exact order, things are speculated to have changed significantly around the middle of 2022. Such a deal has been completely removed from the table, as Red Bull may have cooled as an organization and the implications of the sale by half. of its stake at Porsche have been questioned.
It is also understood that leaked documents revealing Porsche’s interest in a 50% acquisition in late July prompted Honda to get involved again.
Red Bull and Honda have practically had a conversation with no fixed starting or ending point, as the partnership has continued behind the scenes since Honda officially retired from F1.
The prospect of Red Bull selling half of its assets to Porsche and closing the possibility of Honda returning to F1 as a Red Bull partner in 2026 sparked a backlash from HRC and accelerated discussions about what kind of partnership it might be. possible.
HRC’s specific interest suggested that a more attractive partnership would have been possible without the explicit support of Honda’s board of directors. Meanwhile, there were discussions within Red Bull as to whether it would be a mistake to partner with Porsche.
This was likely helped by Porsche’s delays in waiting for the technical rules to be resolved 100% and the need to obtain approval from the Volkswagen Group board of directors.
Volkswagen’s executive appointments have also raised concerns for Red Bull. At the end of July it was revealed that then Volkswagen president Herbert Diess, who approved the Porsche / Audi program, would be replaced by Porsche president Oliver Blume.
“Don’t you think it’s always a concern?” Christian Horner admitted whether the change in leadership had an impact on the negotiations.
“Stability is always important and you always have to look forward. OEMs have a tradition of coming and going.”
“Red Bull has shown its commitment to the sport, not only through Red Bull Racing, but also through its investment and sponsorship of Sauber before it.
“Red Bull is committed to the business and is arguably the largest investor in Formula 1 considering its two Grand Prix teams, a Grand Prix and all the promotions it offers globally.”
“It’s a key part of the company’s marketing strategy. OEMs tend to rotate, but our strategy is with the company’s long-term stability in mind.”
For a variety of reasons, Red Bull decided it had no plans to sell anything, including Red Bull Racing itself, Red Bull Technology, Red Bull Powertrains.
There is hope for a Porsche entry in 2026, but that’s easier said than done. Even if he finds a new team to work with, the biggest problem is the engine side and Porsche has very little time to find a solution.
The future looks much better for Red Bull. You can go alone or find a new partner, because there was always a choice. The latter is more likely and the process has already begun at Honda.
HRC is believed to be very eager to conclude a deal with Red Bull Powertrains for the hybrid part of the engine for 2026.
In fact, HRC may have tentatively agreed to do just that, subject to board approval, The Race reports.
If there is anything to be learned from the Porsche debacle, it is that these conversations can easily end in thin air. But the key difference is that Red Bull actually wants something tangible from Honda, which immediately raises the possibility of a positive result.
“We did our due diligence and felt we were actually in good shape,” Horner said.
“And technically, we don’t feel any real disadvantage vis-à-vis our competitors because of the assumptions we’ve made.”
“Trust? Yes Arrogance? Maybe. Time will tell if it is out of place. But as far as Red Bull Porsche is concerned, beyond the brand and finances, it has given very little.”
Red Bull Powertrains is equipped with high-tech equipment to produce a high-quality F1 engine in 2026, but its main achievement so far has been the production of the first V6 test engine on the dynamo. , mainly on the ability to handle the hybrid aspects of the MGU-H and the battery.
Red Bull Racing F1 team boss Christian Horner insists the company is “able to hire, invest and be equipped to do it all.”
However, if Honda decides to return to F1, they are willing to cooperate with Honda.
“Our train has left the station by 2026. The engines and prototypes are in operation, all Dynano have been commissioned and are in operation,” said Christian Horner.
“Honda is a great company and has announced its exit from F1 to move away from the internal combustion engine and focus on the electrification of their products.
“So if they’re looking to get back into F1, I think they should take that into account.”
“If there is potential interest on the battery side and potential synergies, it could be an interesting discussion.”
“But in terms of engine combustion and mechanical aspects, we are very satisfied with our timetable for 2026”.
This is Christian Horner’s strong suggestion that Red Bull Powertrain should consider to some extent outsourcing the non-V6 part of its F1 powertrain.
This is not a big surprise, given that the F1 engine project is filled with supposedly silent partners and third-party suppliers.
Honda is a positive partner, but it remains to be seen whether the kind of deal Red Bull wants is compatible with Honda.
First, work on Honda’s energy recovery system on F1’s turbo-hybrid engine took place at the Milton Keynes plant, which was sold to Red Bull as part of the engine continuation project beyond 2022. .
And while Honda’s experience in the Sakura is mostly on the internal combustion engine side, this could work as the company is moving towards hybridization as part of its push for zero-emission technology.
It is unclear what the Red Bull-Honda partnership means for F1’s “new manufacturer” regulations.
It may affect whether Red Bull Powertrains is eligible for additional dynamo hours and higher spending limits. A V6 designed and built by Red Bull Powertrains would likely meet the definition, even if its partner ERS is an established F1 manufacturer.
There’s also the not-so-small problem that, officially, Honda isn’t considering a return to F1 in 2026. At least not at the board level.
However, Honda’s racing arm, HRC (Honda Racing), is still working closely with Red Bull and there have been discussions about what might be possible from 2026 onwards, The Race reports.
Christian Horner stressed that Red Bull Powertrains “does not rely on other potential partnerships”, but admitted that it would be “foolish not to listen” to interested parties.
“But it has to strategically adapt and complete what we’re doing to make sure we’re following the same roadmap that Red Bull Powertrain is working on,” he added.
