Christian Horner admits that Red Bull would be “selective” about bringing in any potential business partnerships in the future.
The team’s engine supplier, Honda, officially withdrew from F1 at the end of 2021, but agreed to continue to provide technical assistance to the Red Bull Powertrains department with the current power units being raced by the squad as well as their sister outfit, AlphaTauri.
With this partnership proving successful, it was confirmed in the summer of 2022 that the initial technical agreement – which had provided for support until the end of 2023 – had been extended until the end of 2025.
From 2026, Red Bull Powertrains will manufacture their own power units in line with new engine regulations set to be introduced in the sport, though the team have been open to the possibility of joining with another partner from then on.
A potential partnership with Porsche from 2026 did not come to fruition, and Horner feels that it is important Red Bull consider any future partners carefully.
Horner outlines Red Bull’s ‘selective’ approach to partnership
“We’re always going to be selective about the partners that we’re going to want to work with,” Horner explained in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.com.
“I think that there’s a commitment from the group with the engine up to 2030. We’ve made that commitment, and anybody that we work with will need to be there on merit and because it’s the right fit, both technically and commercially.”
In terms of how that would be defined by Red Bull, Horner outlined what their expectations would be.
“I think it’s got to be able to bring something to the party,” he added.
“It’s got to complement the Red Bull brand. It’s got to complement the Powertrains business and I think that they’re the prerequisite to any potential partnership.”
