Red Bull and Honda create new motorsport partnership
Red Bull and Honda will continue to collaborate together in motorsport when their Formula 1 partnership comes to an end at the close of the year’s World Championship.
Last year Honda announced that it would pull out of Formula One at the end of the 2021 season as it refocuses its efforts to be carbon neutral.
However, Honda and the Red Bull group will continue work together on a variety of motorsport activities, encompassing the transition of power unit development from Honda to Red Bull Powertrains, young driver development, marketing and branding initiatives, as well as competitive activity across a range of motorsport disciplines.
The new partnership will give Red Bull Powertrains the right to use Honda’s IP relating to the Power Unit from 2022, while from 2023, RBPT will take responsibility for all manufacturing and servicing of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri’s engines.
Additionally, to ensure team continuity, there will be a transfer of Honda Racing Development UK employees to Red Bull Powertrains.
Beyond Formula 1, Red Bull and Honda will continue to work together on their respective young driver programmes. The Red Bull Junior Team and Honda Formula Dream Project will partner to further grow motorsport in Japan.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Honda CEO and Team Principal said: “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. 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.”
Koji Watanabe, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said: “I’m glad that we have reached an agreement with Red Bull Group covering all the details of the IP rights for the F1 Power Unit and in this way, Honda can still contribute to the motor racing world. We are now working hard to strengthen HRC’s structure, so that it can ensure our fans will be able to continue to enjoy Honda’s role in all types of motorsport.”