'This will give Red Bull a unique advantage over all other teams'

While Red Bull's acquisition of the Honda engine project will give them full technical control, there is an additional benefit that will only apply to the Milton Keynes-based team, and which may take them just another step further from 2025.

An analysis by Formula One journalist Edd Straw for The Race predicts from 2025 "a unique advantage over everyone else in Formula One." This advantage comes on top of controlling both engine and chassis design, something Mercedes, Ferrari and Alpine are also well known for.

The key to this advantage lies in the versatility with which Red Bull can set up its high-tech engine production. "Red Bull will soon have a far more versatile engine facility than any of its rivals, given there are no permanent ties to any engine manufacturer", Straw knows.

" That chameleonic quality will allow it to reshape its engine program to serve the requirements of any future engine partner", something that makes the team extremely attractive for financial deals or partnerships.

Straw continued: "If Red Bull attracts a manufacturing partner, it could offer anything from a pure badging deal in exchange for cash, through to a turn-key engine operation, and everything in between. That gives it remarkable technical and commercial flexibility."