Honda and Red Bull have announced an extension to their power unit support agreement which will see them continue their relationship until the end of 2025.
Honda retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, having powered Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to his first Formula 1 World Championship. Red Bull Powertrains, a new company created by the Austrian outfit, took over the Honda engine IP, but with the help of the Japanese company under a support agreement. They currently lead both championships with Red Bull, while the power units also power the AlphaTauri team.
READ MORE: Formula 1 on course to offer 100% sustainable fuels by 2026
Initially, the technical partnership with Honda was only supposed to last until the end of 2023, but will now be extended until the end of 2025, when a new set of power unit regulations will come into play.
Honda has noted that its agreement with Red Bull “does not involve the development of PU” or an additional allocation of resources, and will allow Honda to continue working towards its own carbon neutrality goals.
“We thank Honda for their positive response to work together,” said Helmut Marko, Red Bull Motorsport advisor. “We are delighted to continue our partnership in F1 until the end of 2025 with PU supplied by Honda. We have had a successful relationship to date, winning the drivers’ championship in 2021 and currently leading the driver and team standings, with the ‘aim to achieve both titles in 2022’.
READ MORE: ‘We made all the right calls’ says Verstappen as he takes a spin and win in Hungary to extend lead to 80 points
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal and CEO of the new Red Bull Powertrains company, added: “Red Bull’s partnership with Honda has been incredibly successful and we are delighted that this will continue until the end of the current era of the power of the FIA unit regulations in 2025”.
Honda Racing Corporation CEO Koji Watanabe 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 deliver with its existing resources. Once again, we want to use our involvement at the pinnacle of motoring for the development of technologies and our workforce.”
