Red Bull’s newly-announced deal to co-develop Formula 1 power units with Ford draws a line under months of speculation over its future plans involving three different manufacturers.
For a while it seemed a tie-up between Red Bull and Porsche was on the cards. But that deal was called off publicly in September. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said at the time the manufacturer wanted a deeper integration with them than they were prepared to offer.
Speaking to media including RaceFans last week, Horner said the appeal of a deal with Ford was that they were not seeking any such involvement in Red Bull.
“It’s a very different relationship to what was discussed with Porsche,” he said. “This is a purely commercial and technical deal so there’s no exchange of any any shares or participation within the business.
“It’s a very straightforward agreement where we will have the ability to share access to [research and development], particularly on the [electric vehicles] side and cell technology, software development and so on. And then on the commercial side, obviously with Ford being so prevalent in the US, as a commercial partner, it enables us to help achieve even more penetration in that market.”
Red Bull enjoyed an extremely successful first season following the departure of power unit supplier Honda last year. It won 17 races, claimed the constructors’ title for the first time since 2013 and took Max Verstappen to another driver’ championship.
Honda retained ties to Red Bull and last year extended its servicing agreement up until the end of 2025, following which new power unit regulations will arrive. Initially the RB18s and AlphaTauri’s AT03s carried the logos of HRC – Honda Racing Corporation. But as Red Bull were poised to clinch the titles, the Honda logos reappeared.
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Horner said Honda were also “making noises about 2026” last year. The manufacturer has registered with the FIA as a power unit manufacturer for the next set of regulations.
But the announcement of the Ford deal with Ford inevitably means Red Bull’s association with Honda will end in three seasons’ time. “We’ve had an incredible partnership with Honda,” said Horner. “When they initially announced their withdrawal from Formula in 2020 then it was with great sadness that prompted the creation of Red Bull Powertrains to take control of our own future.
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