Will Red Bull and Honda go separate ways? 'Honda looking for other F1 team'

Honda has signed up as an engine manufacturer for the 2026 Formula 1 season, but it is not yet clear whether the partnership with Red Bull Racing will continue. According to Auto, Motor und Sport the Japanese engine manufacturer is looking for another F1 team as Red Bull wants to take full ownership of the power unit's production.

Officially, Honda has withdrawn from Formula 1, but remained more closely involved with Red Bull Racing than it initially intended. Instead of merely supporting the team in its transition to Red Bull Powertrains, the Japanese engine manufacturer will continue to supply the power unit until the end of 2025.

During the Grand Prix weekend in Japan, Honda even announced that it would intensify its cooperation with Red Bull. What the future will look like from 2026 is not yet clear, though we now know that Honda has registered with the FIA as an engine manufacturer. Red Bull's plans could mean that the paths of Honda and the team will separate.

The Austrian racing stable insists it wants to produce its own power unit from 2026 through Red Bull Powertrains and also has the facilities to do so. If these plans go ahead, Honda may well look for another partner.

The main reason for Honda's departure in 2021 was to focus on developing and building electric cars. With the electric share in engines increasing from 2026, a new entry is justifiable, but according to AMuS, the manufacturer only wants that as a full partner of an F1 team.

The German medium is convinced that that partner will not be Red Bull Racing, as Honda would only be responsible for the electric part of the power unit there. The manufacturer would therefore be looking for another team to supply and would see AlphaTauri, Williams, McLaren and Aston Martin as options.

For Red Bull itself, a partnership with US-based Ford would be among the possibilities. In that case, it would possibly only be a sponsorship deal, as it is rumoured that the new engine division will build the entire powertrain itself. In that case, the Austrian racing stable would no longer need an external engine manufacturer at all.