The Honda engine, preferential option for Red Bull?

Honda's upcoming withdrawal from the F1 on the horizon at the end of 2021 launched Red Bull Racing in a new powertrain race for its in-house single-seaters, when the future technical regulations come into force.

A new era where the choices of engineering teams around future F1 cars will be important, hence the interest for Red Bull to know as quickly as possible which Power Unit V6 turbo / hybrid will take place in its future creations.

According to Christian Horner, Team Principal of the Austrian-flagged team, the possibility of retaining the Japanese bloc seems to hold the rope. " I think that our preferred option would be to continue with the powertrain which will be in the car next year, obviously rebadged under another name, specifies the manager.

If we can reach an agreement with Honda regarding the use of the intellectual property and product in the future, it would be a real shame to see these engines sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Japan, so subject to regulation it would be the preferential path of finding an agreement to continue with these blocks. »

A solution that Red Bull management could adopt subject to other points of agreement. “I think we've had some pretty productive discussions behind the scenes with the commercial rights holder and the governing body, continues Horner.

Obviously, there are key elements that need to be in place, before committing to future engine plans, regarding engine freezes, etc. » In the mind of Christian Horner, one thing is certain, the choice must be made before the end of this month.