Honda does not believe it has missed an opportunity after reigning Formula 1 champions Red Bull confirmed they will switch to Ford power units in 2026.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said last year Honda was “making noises about 2026”. However the team has since done a deal with Ford to co-produce power units in time for the next change of regulations.
Honda announced late in 2020 it would withdraw from F1 at the end of the following year. That coincided with an upswing in performance by Red Bull, who took Max Verstappen to the drivers championship in 2021, and dominated last season.
However Honda’s name was removed from the engines and its branding reduced to modest logos for ‘HRC’ – Honda Racing Corporation – at the start of the year. The manufacturer restored its name to the side of Red Bull’s cars four days before Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title at Honda’s Suzuka circuit.
For 2023 Red Bull’s power units will be renamed again, to Honda RBPT. The model name will be Honda RBPTH001.
Honda has registered as one of six engine manufacturers for the 2026 season. It does not yet have a chassis partner, but is not concerned that the chance to do a deal with Red Bull has slipped through its fingers.
“It was not a failure,” said Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe. “We never really saw that as any failure of any sort.
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“As a technical partner, we’re always in contact with Red Bull. So there are many topics that we discussed and many that we have discussed.
“But out of this dialogue it was decided that we will not continue this partnership beyond 2025. So there’s nothing that’s fixed from 2026. It is as simple as that.”
Honda confirmed last year it will continue to provide support to Red Bull in running its engines up to the end of the current formula in 2025.
“From 2026, Red Bull and Ford will be partnering, and in advance we received the notification for Honda and Red Bull until 2025,” Watanabe explained. “We continue to have trust and great partnership and we aim to win the championship until 2025. So we have an unwavering policy on that.
“But after 2026 and onward, Red Bull would partner with Ford and we are not in the position to say anything about that. But in other races we have the partnership with Red Bull so we continue to work together.
“For F1 2026 and onward, there’s nothing specific that we can say about that, but we would like…
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