Red Bull and Honda: the end of a journey filled with successes will be announced in a few months

It was one of the most important and successful partnerships in Formula 1. It is primarily an ambition that led Honda to withdraw from Formula 1 tracks in 2021, with the goal of reducing its emissions and opting for greater sustainability. Indeed, Honda faced financial difficulties that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. This did not prevent them from continuing to improve the engines of the single-seaters and achieving numerous victories in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The highly anticipated revival

The failed marriage with McLaren from 2015 to 2017 remains on everyone’s mind. But with Red Bull Racing, Honda is determined to stand out and reclaim its place in the spotlight. The initial tests in 2018 with Scuderia Toro Rosso (formerly known as Visa cash RB.) were promising. Pierre Gasly secured fourth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix in his second race of the 2018 season. Thus, in 2019, the Japanese brand became the engine supplier for Red Bull.

Red Bull, on its part, dissatisfied with the Renault engine, which has been the subject of several mockeries from Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, is seriously considering changing its engine supplier. It ultimately doesn’t take long to change. Announced at the end of the season, Honda, which was no longer powering any F1 team after their partnership with McLaren ended in late 2017, will switch to the Japanese engine supplier due to a lack of better options.

A short-lived idyll

The journey with Honda for Red Bull will be short but filled with victories. Far from the mark in 2016 and 2017 when Fernando Alonso referred to the Japanese engine as a “Formula 2 engine,” the performances in 2019 seem significantly better. The excellent Red Bull chassis allows certain engine shortcomings to be masked, but they will gradually be addressed to become one of the most competitive engines.

In 2019, Red Bull managed to keep its third place in the world championship, which they had already achieved in 2018 with the Renault engine. Making progress in 2020, Red Bull will be able to compete more often for wins against an always-performing Mercedes team, but it is in 2021 that the Max Verstappen – Honda – Red Bull trio will allow the Japanese manufacturer to secure its first driver’s title since 1991 with McLaren.

With this title in hand, Honda decides to leave F1, in a context where the ecological constraints of mainstream manufacturers no longer meet the expectations of a championship like Formula 1. However, Honda will not really leave. The engineers are indeed relocated to a Red Bull engine entity named Power Trains. Thus, despite a withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, Honda has maintained support for Red Bull’s technical teams, allowing the Austrian team to rebrand the Honda RBPT engine and win the 2022 and 2023 titles.

A return was even considered in mid-2023 by Honda, but it turned out to be too late: Red Bull had already begun discussions with Ford as early as October 2022, taking advantage of Watanabe’s hesitations. Honda’s announcement of its intention to return in 2026, under the new regulations, did not change the Red Bull-Ford agreement, which was already well underway, and it is ultimately with Aston Martin that the engine manufacturer will make its return to F1 with a power unit named Honda.

Thanks to Red Bull, Honda was able to make a strong comeback after a chaotic period, making Red Bull competitive against leading teams Mercedes and Ferrari. The Red Bull-Honda partnership experienced a meteoric rise: first victories in 2019 (Austria, Germany, Brazil), confirmed successes in 2020 (including Silverstone and Barcelona), and ultimately, ultimate recognition in 2021 with Verstappen’s world title, the first driver crowned with a Honda engine since Ayrton Senna. Honda’s legacy, as the first engine manufacturer to beat Mercedes and Ferrari in the hybrid era, propelled Red Bull towards unprecedented dominance in 2022 and 2023. The partnership was strengthened, particularly with the return of the Honda logo on Red Bull’s cars in 2023.

It is now with Ford that Red Bull Racing will write its history. In the meantime, both parties are determined to conclude their partnership on a high note. Horner even emphasized their common goal to win more: « For the final season, Red Bull and HRC will spare no effort to try to win. »