Aditya ChaudhuriAustrian Formula One team Red Bull have announced the extension of their power unit support agreement with Honda. The new agreement will now run till the end of 2025.
Honda has stated that the partnership does not include Power Unit (PU) development or any additional allocation of resources, and that it will continue working towards its own carbon-neutral goals while providing assistance to the team from a technical standpoint.
Honda initially had walked away from the sport at the end of the 2021 season and Red Bull had launched a new company, Red Bull Powertrains, which took over the Honda engine IP (with support from Honda) through a support partnership with the team. That partnership was supposed to last till the end of the 2023 season but now has been extended for a further two years, right before the introduction of the new power unit regulations from 2026.
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Honda played a crucial part in helping Red Bull and Max Verstappen win the Drivers’ title in the 2021. They are looking as favourites for the two Championships this year as well.
Speaking about the extension, Dr Helmut Marko, Motorsport Advisor, Red Bull, commented:
“We thank Honda for their positive response to working together. We are excited to continue our partnership in F1 until the end of 2025 with the PU supplied by Honda. We have had a successful relationship so far, winning the drivers’ championship in 2021 and currently leading the drivers’ and teams’ classifications, with the aim of securing both 2022 titles.“
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal and CEO of the new Red Bull Powertrains company, stated:
“Red Bull’s partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA’s power unit regulations in 2025.“
Koji Watanabe, CEO, Honda Racing Corporation, added:
“We have agreed to continue supporting Red Bull Power Trains in Formula 1 through HRC, following Red Bull’s request to extend our current agreement, which HRC can meet within its existing resources.
“Once again, we aim to use our involvement in the pinnacle of motorsport for the development of technologies and of our workforce.“
Along with Red Bull, Honda also provides power units to Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri.
