Red Bull will be responsible for its own drive following the departure of the current engineering supplier Honda at the end of 2021. For the team, however, it could have been different, as team boss Christian Horner recently revealed in a podcast.
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Red Bull is considering a deal with Ferrari or Mercedes
On an episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, Horner said, “The most natural thing was to talk to the existing suppliers. Mercedes was a very brief conversation and, you know, Toto was obviously particularly interested.
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When asked if they would join Renault, a team they would work with until 2019, Horner replied: “In fact, Renault was not about being a supplier to a team like Red Bull.”
Another team was Ferrari, which in the past supplied engines to its sister team, Toro Rosso. He said: “Probably Ferrari was the most willing. We have nice exploratory talks, but being a customer, so having to accept all integrations, especially with the new regulations coming, would be a pill that is massively difficult to swallow. “
The Milton-Keynes came to a conclusion and decided to take over Honda’s power unit and build their own Red Bull powertrains in the future.
Speaking of the change, the team boss replied: “So we started to explore the possibility, ‘okay, how do we take this challenge in Red Bull-style and see if we can make a deal with Honda and” for the foreseeable future ? ‘ The freezing was essential because we won’t have the capacity to develop an engine. “
“Taking this step is a big step, and it is a brave step to take our fate as an engine supplier into our own hands and bring it all together in Milton Keynes. That would make us the only team other than Ferrari that has it all in one facility, ”he concluded.
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How is the team doing with Honda this season?
Last year at the Japanese engine manufacturer, the team showed the best in a long time. The team from Milton-Keynes has won five out of eight races so far and is currently leading the constructors’ championship with 252 points.
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Formula 1 F1 – Styria Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – June 26, 2021 Red Bulls Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position pool over REUTERS / Darko Vojinovic
The team is now preparing for the ninth round of the championship, which will be held at the Red Bull Ring. After the team won the race at the same location last weekend with the kind permission of Max Verstappen, the team would like to get another win for their team at the home race.
Can the Raging Bulls again deliver a sovereign performance in Austria and further extend their lead in the championship against rivals Mercedes?
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