Red Bull and Honda have outlined the nature of their partnership from 2022 once the marque exits Formula 1 in an official capacity.
Honda announced 12 months ago that it would be withdrawing from Formula 1 at the end of 2021 as part of the company’s realignment of its long-term ambitions.
Red Bull and Honda subsequently reached an agreement for the newly-formed Red Bull Powertrains, located at Red Bull’s campus in Milton Keynes, to take over the IP and running of Honda’s power units from 2022.
Red Bull Powertrains will supply both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri through at least the current cycle of engine regulations, which are due to remain in place until 2025 or 2026.
The parties have now confirmed that Honda will support Red Bull Powertrains in building the 2022 power unit, and also provide trackside race operation support from Japan through the course of the campaign.
From 2023 Red Bull Powertrains will then take responsibility for all manufacturing and servicing of the power units.
Employees of Honda Racing Development UK, based in Milton Keynes, will be transferred across to Red Bull Powertrains.
The collaboration between Red Bull and Honda will also continue beyond power units.
They will continue to work together on their respective young driver programmes, Red Bull Junior Team and Honda Formula Dream Project, in order to assist development of young Japanese drivers.
The collaboration began in 2019 and has so far facilitated Yuki Tsunoda’s graduation to Formula 1.
It was outlined that Red Bull and Honda will continue to cooperate on “various forms of motorsport and indeed other sports and marketing activities.”
The motorsport-related activities on Honda’s side will now come under the HRC umbrella, the division of the company that has run Honda’s motorcycling activities.
“Red Bull’s collaboration with Honda has been enormously successful and while our relationship in Formula 1 is changing, neither of us wish for that to be the end of the story,” said Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.
“We are very pleased that our ambitious and exciting Red Bull Powertrains project will be strongly supported by Honda, technically and operationally, in 2022 and this will help ensure that Red Bull’s transition to the status of chassis and power unit manufacturer is seamless.
“Equally as exciting is the news that our collaboration with Honda will extend to a variety of motorsport activities, from driver development to other racing disciplines and even across the wider sporting world.
“This stretch of Honda’s Formula 1 voyage is coming to an end but together we are embarking on a new and fascinating journey.”
