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Honda, which supplies engines to Red Bull and AlphaTauri, has announced that it will withdraw from Formula One at the end of 2021 in a big shock that carries major ramifications for both Red Bull and the sport. Only three engine manufacturers remain in F1 and Red Bull face limited options in engine supply, while the sport must now consider which direction it takes in power units to secure its future.
Honda returned to Formula One in 2015 with McLaren and endured three difficult years during which its engine was quite off the beat. When McLaren abandoned them, they supplied Toro Rosso for a year in 2018 and Red Bull hired them as a working partner in 2019, since then they have enjoyed some success. Max Verstappen had three wins for the team last year and won at Silverstone in August, but they are not a championship challenge. Honda, however, insists the decision was not made because of performance.
The F1 uses turbo-hybrid power units in which the gasoline internal combustion engine still plays a central role. Honda announced at a press conference on Friday that its interests as an automaker were no longer better represented by F1, stating that the industry was going through a “once-in-a-hundred-year period of great transformation.” The company’s intention is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and focus on future power units with the goal of carbon-free technology.
Red Bull has relatively little time to find an alternative. Mercedes will supply three more teams in 2021 and has refused to sell engines to Red Bull, its closest competitor, in the past. Ferrari supplies Alfa Romeo and Haas, but their power unit is not competitive. Renault is the only remaining manufacturer, although the possibility exists that Red Bull could choose to build its own engine, perhaps based on acquiring the rights to the Honda unit, but this would be a hugely expensive compromise.
Red Bull enjoyed great success with Renault, winning four titles between 2010 and 2013. However, when the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014, they were off the beat and their relationship with Red Bull turned increasingly bitter, ending badly. in 2018.
Red Bull recently signed a new commercial agreement with F1 pledging to stay in the sport until 2025 and their team principal Christian Horner insisted they would adapt to the new circumstances in the wake of Honda’s announcement. “His decision presents obvious challenges for us as a team, but we have been here before and with our strength in depth we are well prepared and equipped to respond effectively, as we have demonstrated in the past,” he said.
Renault will only manufacture power units for its own team in 2022. His team principal Cyril Abiteboul said at the Italian Grand Prix that they were only interested in supplying engines on a partnership basis, rather than direct sale. with the client. At the time I was skeptical that Red Bull would meet that requirement.
However, Renault may be obliged to do so, as F1 rules state that if a team cannot purchase an engine, the manufacturer supplying the least number of teams is obliged to do so. If its engine does not improve to compete with Mercedes, Red Bull will face four difficult years that will test not only its commitment to F1 but also that of Verstappen, who will be courted by other teams if he is denied the opportunity to compete for a title. .
Honda’s withdrawal also leaves the sport under enormous pressure. Turbo-hybrid power units were designed to appeal to manufacturers, but Honda was the only one to join since 2014. Their cost and complexity of the units has put them out of the reach of independent manufacturers, leaving the sport in a position precarious. If Renault or Mercedes retired, it would be a blow to the body.
Formula One sporting director Ross Brawn has said new manufacturers will not enter until 2026. The design of the units will be decided in the next 18 months, and F1 will examine the use of synthetic fuels. However, Honda’s decision has highlighted the growing divergence between the sport and the move toward electrification that automakers are taking. For the sport to survive, decisions made in the near future by 2026 are vital, including a shift to make engine manufacturing affordable beyond the major players in the automotive industry.
