The big challenge for Horner: 'Will he succeed in convincing others?'

It was quite a novelty at the end of last week when Honda announced that it would stop in Formula 1 at the end of 2021. This puts Red Bull Racing in an awkward position, because where are they going to get their engine from now? A discussion that can and will continue for a long time to come, but at the same time, they have plenty of time to look for a new partner.

Surprise

The news that Honda is going to quit came as a bit of a surprise, as they are doing pretty well. Their reliability has increased significantly and they have already won several victories, both with Red Bull Racing and of course AlphaTauri. Gasly shone at Monza earlier this year and took his first win.

However, the key question now is what is going to happen to Red Bull Racing. Chris Medland touches on that at Formula1.com. "Expect plenty of questions about what it will mean for Christian Horner’s team, with the current regulations stating Renault would be obliged to give them a power unit in 2022 if Red Bull don’t get another deal sorted."

The latter is, of course, interesting, because things haven't really been working out between Red Bull and Renault in recent years, so they switched to Honda. Medland: "After their relationship deteriorated towards the end of their last partnership neither side will be particularly keen to work together again."

Convince other manufacturers

"But can Horner convince another manufacturer to come to their aid?" Medland concludes. And that's a good question. Mercedes already delivers to many teams and want to help their biggest competitor? Then there is Ferrari, but they have their hands in the hair because of their power source.

Now 2022 will take a while, but it is going to be an exciting time as Red Bull Racing has to look for an alternative.