Jonas Leo
Honda, a long-standing participant in the pinnacle of motorsport, is poised to embark on a new chapter as the exclusive power unit supplier for Aston Martin from 2026. Concurrently, Red Bull will venture into the realm of independent power unit manufacturing through its dedicated Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) division, established in collaboration with American automotive giant Ford. This dual transition underscores the evolving technical and commercial dynamics within Formula 1 as teams prepare for a new era of regulations.
The partnership between Red Bull and Honda commenced in 2018, initially through a trial phase with Red Bull’s junior team, then known as Scuderia Toro Rosso. This move was considered a calculated risk for Red Bull, as Honda had experienced a challenging return to F1 with McLaren between 2015 and 2017. Despite initial skepticism, the Toro Rosso-Honda collaboration showed promising signs of development and reliability, culminating in a fourth-place finish at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix, a significant early indicator of progress.
Building on the encouraging performance with Toro Rosso, the relationship expanded to the senior Oracle Red Bull Racing team in 2019. This marked a pivotal moment, as Red Bull sought to move beyond its long-standing but sometimes turbulent partnership with Renault. The immediate impact was palpable, with Max Verstappen securing Honda’s first F1 victory in the hybrid era at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. This triumph, on Red Bull’s home circuit, signaled a potent new alliance and the beginning of a remarkable trajectory. Verstappen further solidified the partnership’s early potential with additional victories in Germany and Brazil that season.
The 2020 season, heavily impacted by the global pandemic, saw continued progress. While the constructors’ championship remained elusive against Mercedes’ dominance, Honda’s power units demonstrated enhanced performance and reliability. A standout moment was Pierre Gasly’s unexpected and emotional victory for AlphaTauri (the rebranded Toro Rosso) at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. This win, Gasly’s first in F1, served as further validation of Honda’s competitive progress across both Red Bull-affiliated teams and showcased the depth of their engineering efforts.
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The pinnacle of the Red Bull-Honda partnership arrived in 2021. After years of incremental gains, the Honda power unit, integrated into the RB16B chassis, proved to be a championship-winning package. Max Verstappen, leveraging the improved performance and reliability, engaged in a season-long, intense battle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman ultimately secured his maiden Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship in a dramatic conclusion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This victory marked Honda’s first drivers’ title since Ayrton Senna’s triumph in 1991 with McLaren, ending a three-decade drought and cementing their return to the sport’s highest echelons.
The momentum generated in 2021 carried through into subsequent seasons, leading to an era of significant dominance. The Red Bull-Honda partnership (though Honda officially withdrew as a full manufacturer at the end of 2021, their technical support and intellectual property continued to be utilized and developed by RBPT under a licensing agreement, with Honda badging returning for 2023) secured two consecutive Constructors’ Championships for Red Bull Racing in 2022 and 2023. Max Verstappen further extended his reign, clinching four consecutive Drivers’ Championships from 2021 to 2024, an unprecedented feat in recent F1 history.
Throughout their eight-year tenure across both teams, the Red Bull-Honda alliance amassed a formidable record of 71 Formula 1 wins and 140 podium finishes. These statistics underline the profound impact Honda had on Red Bull’s resurgence and their transformation into a dominant force in the sport.
To commemorate this significant chapter, Red Bull and Racing Bulls jointly released a video montage. The accompanying caption from the team highlighted the "truly iconic" nature of the partnership: "With 71 Formula 1 wins, 140 podiums and four Drivers’ World Championships across Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, our eight-year partnership with Honda has been truly iconic!" The message continued, inviting fans to "Take a look back at our greatest moments together from the last eight seasons, including our first win with Honda at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly’s win at Monza in 2020, Max’s maiden world title in Abu Dhabi 2021, and so many more!" The sentiment concluded with a heartfelt promise: "We will always carry Honda’s spirit with us."
In April, as the partnership’s conclusion approached, Max Verstappen participated in a promotional event in Tokyo, driving the RB16B, the car in which he secured his first world title, through the city streets. Reflecting on the impending end of the collaboration, Verstappen described it as a "goodbye for now," acknowledging the profound impact Honda had on his career and the team’s success.
"It’s been a ride that I enjoyed a lot," the Dutch driver stated at the time. "Of course before we started working with Honda, we had our success. But I could have never imagined the heights that we got to, winning four championships together."
Verstappen also hinted at the potential for future collaborations, a common sentiment in the ever-evolving landscape of Formula 1. "I want to try and just enjoy the weekend, try to go as fast as you can, but it’s more about also just remembering all that we have achieved together in the sport and who knows, of course, in the future as well?" he mused. "You know what can be done. So it’s like a goodbye for now, but that’s it. I’m still quite young and you never know what happens in the future."
The decision for Honda to partner exclusively with Aston Martin from 2026 marks a strategic commitment to the sport under the new technical regulations, which will feature a greater emphasis on electrical power and sustainable fuels. For Aston Martin, this partnership represents a significant step in their ambition to become a front-running team, gaining direct factory support from a proven championship-winning engine manufacturer.
Conversely, Red Bull’s investment in Red Bull Powertrains, bolstered by the technical and financial might of Ford, signals a bold and ambitious move to gain complete control over their entire car package. Developing an in-house power unit is a monumental undertaking, demanding substantial resources, expertise, and time. This strategic shift aims to insulate Red Bull from external engine supplier dependencies, a factor that has historically influenced their performance. The upcoming 2026 season will therefore present both Red Bull and Honda with new challenges and opportunities, reshaping alliances and competitive dynamics across the Formula 1 grid. The legacy of their highly successful partnership, however, will undoubtedly remain a significant chapter in the sport’s history.
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Author Profile
- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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