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Red Bull wouldn’t have created own F1 engine had Honda stayed
Honda announced it would quit F1 in 2021, but agreed to continue supplying power units to chassis partner Red Bull until the end of 2025 and the repeal of current engine regulations.
But the Japanese manufacturer will return to the series in 2026 as Aston Martin’s partner, while Red Bull has created its own in-house powertrain division.
Max Verstappen, who then won the drivers’ championship for Honda in 2021 and 2022 and helped secure the team’s crown last season, called it “a disgrace” to see Honda partner Aston.
Horner added that Red Bull would never have started its own engine program had it known that Honda was keen to return, even though it has admitted to “grown up” to be a “customer”.
Asked by Autosport for his reaction, Horner said: “Well, of course it was a costly decision!
“We are no longer the client for the prospect of Red Bull.
“For us, the synergies of having the powerplant installed on site, fully integrated with the chassis and being next to each other with the engine and chassis engineers are significant in the long run.
“We would not have achieved this goal if it hadn’t been for Honda’s exit.”
Red Bull RB18 racing car with Honda logo
photographer: George Piola
The creation of Red Bull Powertrains provides additional employment opportunities in Milton Keynes to ease the constraints imposed by the cost cap imposed in 2021.
“In many ways, we should thank them for pushing us to build our own engine facility,” he continued.
“The jobs it creates and provides, and of course our (commercial-led 2026) partnership with Ford, are particularly exciting for the future and the commitment of Red Bull and shareholders to the project.
“Had we known Honda’s decision today, would we have made the same decision? Absolutely not.
“But we did, we are committed to making it happen, and as the path we take continues to evolve, the more we can benefit the group in the long run.”
Red Bull and Honda did renegotiate in late 2022 over a possible collaboration on the 2026 engine rule, which drops the complex and expensive motor-generator unit-heat (MGU-H).
Their discussions centered on the hybrid component of the engine, with Honda initially leaving F1 to commit resources and money to electrifying its range of road cars.
However, before Red Bull used its RB19 launch in New York City to publicly reveal the deal with Ford, Horner said the talks broke down because “the two sides probably made too many compromises”.
Mercedes has been fined for violating parc fermé rules after the Spanish GP. This imposes the same sanction on the German racing stables as it did after the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all committing the same crime.
Despite Carlos Sainz’s solid qualifying performance at his home Grand Prix, starting from second, the Ferrari driver lacked the necessary race pace compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, resulting in him finishing second. Five finishers.
On lap 56 of 66 in a round dominated by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, Alfa Romeo driver Zhou used DRS to challenge Tsunoda for 9th on the outside entering Turn 1 right hand.
But as the corner transitioned into Turn 2, Chow appeared to shake his machine to the left, before rejoining the track several car lengths behind Kakuda into the escape lane.
The FIA stewards reviewed the incident and ruled that Zhou was ahead at the apex of Turn 1 and therefore had the right to enter the race room.
As Tsunoda was found violating the International Sports Code, he received a 5-second penalty and dropped to 12th without points. Zhou, meanwhile, scored two points for ninth.
Asked by Autosport about his reaction, Tsunoda said: “It’s a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair.”
Recalling his take on events, Tsunoda thought Zhou had “pretended” to run out of space and that there was “definitely” room to keep the Alfa Romeo on track.
He said: “I left the room when I saw (Zhou Lai), I think he gave up early on.
“He went outside and pretended he was being forced out, but he didn’t. Sure enough, there was room outside.
“Obviously I put pressure on him, but there was still space, so I don’t understand why it was a penalty. It felt really unfair, really harsh.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri in the paddock
Photography: Jack Grant / motorsport pictures
Tsunoda said he was not aware of the penalty until it reached the finish line, and believes drivers and teams should be able to present their defense to the FIA before the final ruling is given.
He said: “After I just heard the checkered flag, I was really happy. But after listening to that radio, I was really disappointed.
“At the same time, (I think) it’s a bit of a curiosity … it’s good to have some discussion with the FIA because they gave five seconds without any discussion and the race was over.
“So, it didn’t feel fair … (I felt) exhausted and flat.”
In contrast, Zhou believes that this is a dunk penalty for Kakuda. He said: “It’s very simple.
“Going into Turn 1 and into the middle, I was in the lead and I actually gave a lot of space. Then I saw that he (and him) didn’t stop.
“(He tried to) release the brakes (but he) drove me away and I had to take avoidance action and (use) the escape route or we would collide.
“So, it was tricky after that because I had a lot of rubbish on my tyres. But in the end, I was able to stay in the right position behind him and regain the position.”
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