Honda and Red Bull announce future F1 and motorsport collaboration

Honda and Red Bull have outlined the way the transition will work for its Formula 1 power unit technology in 2022, as well as announced a future motorsport collaboration.

Red Bull will take over the Honda IP and run the power units under its own new company of Red Bull Powertrains from next season onwards, as the Japanese manufacturer is withdrawing from the sport. However, Honda will not immediately leave F1, and instead will provide support in building the 2022 power units as well as trackside and race operation support from Japan throughout the 2022 season.

It has further been confirmed that Red Bull is taking over the complete operation of what was Honda Racing Development UK (Milton Keynes), with HRDUK’s employees to become employees of Red Bull Powertrains.

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While Red Bull Powertrains will take responsibility for all manufacturing and servicing of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri’s engines from 2023, there will be ongoing collaboration between the brand and Honda in other areas.

The pair will continue to work together on their respective young driver programs, with the aim of bringing more Japanese drivers into F1 as has been the case with Yuki Tsunoda this year. Tsunoda is a product of the Honda Formula Dream project but also received Red Bull support prior to joining AlphaTauri.

As well as collaboration in terms of other sports and marketing activities, Honda’s four-wheeled motorsport activities will be grouped with its motorcycle operation under the umbrella of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), and in partnership with Red Bull will add a four-wheel project to its portfolio.

“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,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “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.”