- Red Bull Racing was heading into 2021 with a lame-duck engine program after engine supplier Honda announced in October that would be exiting F1 at the end of the 2021 campaign.
- Red Bull had a few options, including becoming a customer of Renault power, running it’s own engine program or cutting a deal with Honda to continue on as a customer.
- Red Bull finished second in the 2020 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
According to German media reports, Red Bull Racing F1 team has reached an agreement with Honda that will allow Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams to continue to use Honda F1 engines after 2021.
The Japanese manufacturer announced this past case that it would be ending factory support in Formula 1 after 2021.
The final piece of the 2022 engine puzzle, according to Red Bull official Helmut Marko, is for the other teams and the FIA to agree to freeze engine development for the field. As for the Red Bull-Honda arrangement for 2022 and beyond, Marko told German media: “Everything has been settled between us. Everything is in the starting blocks.
“The talks were very constructive, they were very, very accommodating, and it can be a very competitive engine in the future even without the official factory support. All that is left for the OK is when we have written proof from the FIA that the development freeze on the engine side is coming,” he added.
Marko said final clarification about the 2022 freeze is forthcoming any day now. He insists that the freeze is not just good for Red Bull.
“This engine (formula) proved to be such a cost driver in Formula 1. It makes no sense to invest any more in it now,” Marko said. “For Formula 1, it is a very clear decision of reason.”
Marko warned that if the freeze is not put in place, “that would make Red Bull drastically rethink its situation in Formula 1.”
“This is not blackmail,” he said, adding that Red Bull does not have a plan B. “For reasons of reason and cost, an engine freeze is just the only way now with these ill-fated engines.”
Will Honda miss factory support for its engine program in Formula 1? That will be the big question in 2022. In the meantime, do you thing Red Bull can close the gap on Mercedes in 2021? Jump into the comments section below and let us know what you think.
