Honda’s ‘information war’ with Red Bull over F1 engine development

Red Bull is set to team up with American car giant Ford from 2026, while Honda will become the official engine partner for the Aston Martin team at the same time. 

The Japanese engine manufacturer currently supplies both Red Bull and their sister team AlphaTauri and the two parties maintain a strong working relationship. 

But with a separation looming in the not-too-distant future, the nature of their partnership is evolving. 

“Red Bull doesn’t tell us anything about their engine, and we don’t say anything to them about our development,” Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.

“So there is already a kind of information war going on at the moment. At Red Bull, they do have some knowledge about our current engine but, ultimately, we are responsible for the development and the whole process.

“Most of the knowledge is with us.

“Until 2025, I hope Red Bull wins everything. And from 2026, we will hopefully be their biggest competitor. Building a completely new engine is a huge challenge, but our goal is also to win a championship in the next era.”

Watanabe also promised that Honda’s power unit will be improved for 2024 despite an engine freeze, in an ominous warning to Red Bull’s rivals. 

“In terms of power and performance, we may not improve anything, but in other areas, we can make strides even with this engine,” he added. 

“At Ferrari, for example, they have developed the engine considerably and Mercedes’ ERS system is also very strong.

“We will also improve our engine for next year in terms of its longevity. So there is definitely something in the pipeline."