(Motorsport-Total.com) – Japanese automaker Honda, which is currently involved in Formula 1 as a power unit partner for Red Bull and AlphaTauri, claims it has already been approached by several other teams regarding a possible collaboration from 2026 onwards.
Koji Watanabe, President, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)
Honda is one of six automakers that have registered their interest in participating as a power plant manufacturer from 2026 with the FIA. But continued cooperation with Red Bull teams was no longer possible after that. Red Bull will build the power unit itself from 2026, with support from Ford.
The fact that Honda will still be at the start of 2026 is by no means constant. But the existing interest in Formula 1 was confirmed by Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Company (HRC), because: “Formula 1 is making great strides towards electrification, and carbon dioxide neutrality is Honda’s goal.”
“We believe that the future direction of Formula 1 suits our goals, so we have registered as a manufacturer of power units. We are curious to see what direction Formula 1 is developing. It is the first category in motorsport. What would it look like, if it became more electric? We want to keep an eye on that.”
Since enrolling in the FIA for 2026, Watanabe confirmed that “several Formula 1 teams have been contacted”: “At the moment we restrict ourselves to following the direction of Formula 1 closely. We have not yet made a concrete decision on this. We have decided whether to return to Formula 1.”
Who can become a Honda partner in 2026?
On the outside, McLaren and Williams would be the most obvious candidates to partner with Honda. All other teams are either directly linked to a major manufacturer or have alliances with it, such as Haas with his collaboration with Ferrari.
McLaren said recently that they are in no rush to decide on a partner for 2026: “We’ve got some time to decide,” says Zak Brown, McLaren’s chief executive. “It’s exciting for Formula 1 to see so many manufacturers entering the sport. It emphasizes growth.”
The question of a future power unit partner is one that Brawn and team boss Andrea Stella are currently studying together. But we are not under any time pressure and we are very happy with Mercedes. We’ll see what happens next year. At some point we will have to make a decision.”
In addition to McLaren and Williams, British media have mentioned Aston Martin as a possible partner for Honda, despite its association with the Aston Martin sports car maker of the same name.
According to Honda: the cooperation with Red Bull “did not fail”
The reason Honda had to look for a new partner was Red Bull’s decision to work with Ford. When asked why Honda’s negotiations with Red Bull failed, Watanabe replied, “They didn’t. We never considered it a failure.”
“As a technology partner, we are in constant dialogue with Red Bull. There are many topics that we are discussing and many that we have already discussed. Beyond that dialogue, it has been decided not to continue this partnership beyond 2025. So for 2026 no fixes have been made. Nothing yet. It’s that simple.”
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Honda had already announced its exit from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, but then backed off at least in part. Meanwhile, he founded Red Bull Powertrains and developed a power unit based on the Honda engine. Factory but Honda is not currently participating in Formula 1.
2023: Honda is more prominent than ever
Since at least Suzuka 2022, Honda logos and Honda letters have appeared prominently on Red Bull and Alpha Tauri cars again, and in 2023 the Honda logo will return to the engines.
Watanabe says this is a symbol of the ongoing collaboration between Honda and Red Bull. As for the FIA’s entry list, the engine manufacturer’s name will be changed to Honda RBPT (RBPT = Red Bull Powertrains) in 2023, Watanabe said. And the official engine name for the 2023 Formula 1 season is now Honda RBPT H001.
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