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Explaining the Red Bull and Honda F1 Breakup Story- Who’s at Mistake?

The Honda and Red Bull partnership is the most successful deal in F1’s new era. Together with Honda, Max Verstappen won four consecutive World Championships.

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Venkatakrishnan
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Honda Red Bull breakup

Honda Red Bull breakup Photograph: (Instagram)

One of the greatest and most successful partnerships in Formula 1 was the Red Bull and Honda engine partnership. After returning to Formula 1 in 2015 with McLaren, the Japanese automaker struggled to make its engines strong and reliable like its competitors Ferrari and Mercedes. The partnership started to bring back the legacy of Honda and McLaren’s successful F1 championship wins in the late 1980s and early 90s, especially with Ayrton Senna.

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But all ended in vain, as Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne complained of low power and reliability. At one point, the Spaniard was fed up with the car and left it on the track, calling it a GP2 engine. Lack of experience in Formula 1 was the biggest reason for Honda's engine failure, and in 2017, McLaren and Honda announced that they would split after the end of the year. 

The Honda and Red Bull Breakup Story

Testing Period

On the other side, Red Bull boss Christian Horner was having issues with their power unit supplier Renault. PUs supplied by Renault are not reliable and underpowered compared to Ferrari and Mercedes engines. They are not even allowed to make their own choices about engines.

So Red Bull partnered with Honda and tested their junior team, the Torro Rosso, with Honda engines for the 2018 season. The deal was for Honda to provide track support, free engines, brand endorsements, and official vehicles to the Scuderia Torros Rosso. 

Honda gained some knowledge from their jet engines and improved the engine power. In just the second race of the 2018 season, Pierre Gasly finished fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team became consistent and scored more points and finally Red Bull decided to ditch Renault and move on with Honda from the 2019 season.

The Official Engine supplier

In their first official race, Max Verstappen took the team to the podium, finishing third place. This was the first podium for Honda since the 2008 season. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Max won the race and gave Honda their first victory since returning to Formula 1 in 2015. By the end of the season, Verstappen finished third in the drivers championship, which was huge for Red Bull and Honda. 

Also Read: The 2025 Formula 1 season will bring the devil out of Max Verstappen—Reasons Explained

Second fastest Team

In the 2020 season, Honda-powered cars became the second fastest cars on the grid next to Mercedes as Ferarri struggled with their power units and upgrades. Honda became the only manufacturer other than Mercedes to win that season. Max Verstappen scored five consecutive podiums, including a win at Silverstone. In the Italian Grand Prix, Alpha Tauri achieved their first victory in Formula 1 since Sebastian Vettel’s Monza heroics at the same venue.

Shocking Announcement

Honda’s then-CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, announced they would leave F1 by the end of the 2021 season, citing sustainability. The biggest reason for their exit was COVID-19 and the brand wanted to reduce their expenditure. 

Also Read: Checkout: First official Photo of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari Hq in Maranello

Championship wins

In 2021, Honda achieved success by helping Max Verstappen win the Formula 1 championship for the first time. Max gave nightmares to the dominant Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton by winning the championship for Red Bull. It was Honda’s first championship in 30 years and Max became the first Honda-powered world champion after Ayrton Senna. 

They also became the first engine manufacturer to defeat Mercedes in the turbo-hybrid era. The victory continued in 2022 and in 2023, Red Bull won 21 races out of the 22, which is the most successful winning percentage by any team in F1 history.

Also Read: Top Formula 1 legends failed at Ferrari before signing Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull Powertrains

The Austrian brand got fed up with its PU suppliers and they decided to build their own PUs. Honda also agreed to assist the team in manufacturing their engines, which are Honda engines built by Red Bull. The deal was done up to the 2025 season and after that, Red Bull decided to move with Ford.

Who’s Mistake?

The breakup was no one's fault, as circumstances made it happen. But if we need to point fingers, then the fingers will point towards the Japanese manufacturer. Red Bull wasn’t ready to break their deal with Honda, as they felt the partnership was going successfully.

Also Read: 'Same mistake I made'- Jos Verstappen gives warning to Liam Lawson about his son Max

After Hachigo’s exit in 2023, their new CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, announced that they will continue in Formula 1. But it was too late as Red Bull moved on with American manufacturer Ford, who was willing to help Red Bull build their powertrains.

Honda - Aston Martin deal

The Japanese manufacturer decided to make a deal with Aston Martin F1. They are a long-standing customer team for Mercedes. Adrian Newey, the renowned car designer, switched to Aston Martin and helped Honda secure the deal with them. We like to see Honda flourish in Formula 1, providing Aston Martin with all the power and capability to win the championship. Then they can prove to the world that they can give any team a championship-winning Power Unit.

Formula 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull McLaren Aston Martin F1 Honda