Red Bull wouldn’t have pursued own engine if they knew Honda would return
Earlier this week Honda announced their return to F1 as Aston Martin’s engine supplier for 2026.
The news comes just under three years after Honda announced they were leaving F1.
Honda’s decision came just before Red Bull’s title success in 2021, with their championship success partially down to the Japanese manufacturer’s superb power unit.
While Honda continue to remain involved with the management of the current engine, Red Bull decided that they would build their own power unit for the new regulations in 2026.
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen conceded that “it’s a shame” Honda would no longer be working with the team from 2026 onwards.
Horner echoed his star driver’s thoughts and stated they wouldn’t have set up Red Bull Powertrains if they knew Honda’s decision to make a comeback in hindsight.
“Well it was certainly an expensive decision,” Horner said on Friday. “For us, for the long term, prospects of Red Bull, we’ve outgrown being a customer [team] and for us to have the power unit on site, on campus, integrated fully with chassis and the synergies that creates with engine and chassis engineers sitting next to each other I think for us in the long term the advantages are significant.
“We wouldn’t have made that jump had it not been for Honda’s withdrawal. In many respects, we should be grateful for giving us that push to create our own engine facility - the jobs it’s created and provided and of course the partnership we have with Ford is particularly exciting.
“The commitment from Red Bull and the shareholders to the project. Would we have made the same decision knowing what Honda’s decision was today? Absolutely not but we made it and we’re committed to it. As we’ve got involved the more benefits we see to the group long term.”
Horner believes Honda’s comeback with Aston Martin is only positive news for F1 as a whole.
It means there are now six engine manufacturers signed up for 2026 - Honda, Red Bull-Ford, Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault (Alpine) and Audi.
“I think it’s positive for Honda,” he added. “It’s positive for Formula 1. They are a great brand and they’ve got a great legacy in the sport. We’ve enjoyed and continue to enjoy, and will do so for another two and a half years, a great relationship and supply with them.
“Obviously, they announced their withdrawal in 2020 and that forced us to make a decision long-term wise as to what strategically was the best route forward for us. We created Red Bull Powertrains, they agreed to become a technical supplier to Red Bull Powertrains and we’ve enjoyed a great working relationship but of course now we’re off on our own journey as an engine manufacturer.”
