Opinion | Why a partnership with Red Bull is best for McLaren

In the world of Formula 1, things are almost never as they seem. No doubt the entire F1 world thought in recent days that McLaren was heading for a partnership with Honda that was as surprising as it was logical. Until it was leaked on Wednesday that CEO Zak Brown had visited the Red Bull Powertrains factory. A possible McLaren-Red Bull Powertrains combination from 2026; it is - by far - the best option for the English team from Woking.

The illustrious Ron Dennis was convinced during his time at the helm of McLaren: it is always best to be the 'factory team' of an engine supplier. In that case, the power unit is built specifically for your car, fitting within your aerodynamic package and with the focus of everyone in the organisation entirely on your team. Should McLaren choose to partner with Honda from 2026, the English will experience the benefits of being a factory team.

Struggles are forgotten

Just over a week ago, it was revealed that McLaren and Honda had held exploratory talks about a partnership. Cast aside, apparently, were all the squabbles from a not-so-distant past, when the two sides parted ways prematurely with a messy divorce. Another hallmark of Formula 1: not only is nothing ever what it seems, a lot is 'forgotten' for the sake of convenience.

Honda, very keen to remain active in Formula 1, and McLaren, looking for a reliable engine partner. Moreover, when, during a press meeting, Zak Brown refused to give concrete answers to the question of whether Honda is in the picture, one plus one is two. Not so. It turns out there may be a much better option available: a deal with Red Bull Racing, who will build their own engines from 2026.

Confidence in Honda

To understand why Red Bull is the best choice for McLaren, we must first return to Honda. Currently, the Japanese manufacturer are supplying Red Bull and AlphaTauri with the strongest power unit on the grid. At first glance, that should give confidence that Honda will soon be able to manufacture another great power unit in '26 - even though the regulations are changing dramatically.

However, at the end of 2021, the then leadership of the Honda Group decided to kiss Formula 1 goodbye, although power units will be supplied to Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri through to '25. These engines remained essentially the same for years, so Honda had no trouble downsizing its F1 division. The best people left, including, for example, Masashi Yamamoto. He and many others currently work for - you guessed it - Red Bull Powertrains.

Hell of a job

For Honda to make an impact with a new power unit in 2026, new, skilled personnel must first be recruited. With the experienced bright minds of Mercedes, Ferrari and Alpine all situated in Europe, it is almost certainly a hell of a job to find people to work at a high level right away. Moreover, time is short. If Honda wants to stay (or actually return) in Formula 1, it needs to start with a first concept engine as soon as possible. Bringing in new personnel for that should have been done long ago.

There is no hurry at Red Bull: the team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez already has the right people on board (including from Mercedes) and even had a first power unit running on the test bench. Already, the team has a huge lead over a manufacturer like Honda. No doubt Brown realises this too, which immediately explains his visit to the Austrian team's factory: Red Bull Powertrains is the best opportunity for McLaren to return to the front of the grid.