Honda set the record straight after Red Bull F1 engine question

Honda says it would be impossible for the company to supply 2026 Formula 1 power units to Red Bull at the last minute, should its in-house engine programme hit a roadblock.

Red Bull and Honda first joined forces in 2019, with their partnership yielding four consecutive drivers’ titles and back-to-back constructors’ championships between 2021-24.

However, their long-standing relationship would come to an end this year, with Red Bull having been forced to build their own engines from scratch in 2026 after Honda’s initial decision to withdraw from F1.

Modern-day power units are extremely complex and Red Bull will be the first non-manufacturer team to design and build its own hybrid engines in F1 through its Red Bull Powertrains division.

Although it has secured the services of Ford as a partner, particularly to help build the MGU, question marks remain over how competitive or reliable its first power unit would be.

Could Honda and Red Bull reunite for an F1 engine?

Asked about rumours that Honda could step in as a fallback option if Red Bull’s project falters, Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe firmly shut down that possibility.

"That is not possible at all,” he told AS Web. “Even if we were asked to do it now, it would be too late to make it in time for 2026. The chances are zero."

Although Honda announced in 2020 that it would be leaving F1 permanently, it eventually made a U-turn on its decision, encouraged by the new 2026 regulations that focus on electrification and sustainability.

By the time Honda recommitted to F1, Red Bull had already invested heavily in its new powertrain division, leading Honda to sign a factory deal with Aston Martin instead.

Development work is already underway to integrate Honda’s new engine with Aston Martin’s 2026 car, including the gearbox being designed in-house by the Silverstone-based team.

Watanabe said that he was happy with how the two sides are collaborating, with testing taking place in both the UK and Japan to finalise the engine and gearbox specification for 2026.

“Of course, that is a power unit for testing and not the final specification,” he explained. “We combine the latest products at the time with each other at the testing stage, and we do tests in the UK and in Japan. 

“We don't do the tests at the same time. When we do it in Japan, we do it in Japan only, and it's not just the things that are tested, but also the people who are present at the same time, and HRC staff and Aston Martin staff work together, and we've already done multiple tests. 

“The gearboxes that Aston Martin is producing are gradually approaching the final specification, and we will continue to test them."