"Honda is back", but what does it mean for Red Bull and Formula 1?

What’s happened?

In October 2020, Honda would make a surprising announcement of their intention to leave F1 by the end of the 2021 season. With significant damage to reputation in their partnership with McLaren and the pains of the Covid-19 pandemic, the engine manufacturer would see through their departure from the sport, even though Red Bull’s Max Verstappen would claim the coveted World Driver’s Championship. Honda would cede engine intellectual property and resources to Red Bull and separate its identity from F1 entirely.

On the eve of the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, it was announced that Honda would take a more prominent identity within the Red Bull & Alpha Tauri teams. Considering that the Sakura-based outfit has continued to provide support to the teams with their engines, their “absence” has only really come in the shape of a lack of Honda badging on the teams.

What does this mean?

This means that a huge name in the world of motorsport returns to the highest level of competition. Honda’s absence has been felt greatly in the sport, with the team’s participation bringing a vast amount of fan support from the nation of Japan. The supplier has had a long history in the sport, dating back to the glory days of McLaren and Ayrton Senna. The Japanese outfit well and truly belongs in the sport.

It’s also a visible vote of confidence from Honda towards the 2026 regulations. F1 has clearly struck the right balance with their 2026 regulations if they’ve managed to entice Honda back to such an extent. These are promising signs for the future of potential manufacturer entries into the sport. While these are all very positive thoughts, it also displays that Honda felt a sense of regret. Seemingly, the reasoning for the initial departure was not enough to sustain a long absence. Citing a need to push for more sustainability, Honda had pulled out of the sport, but they now see the championship as a fruitful opportunity to gain brand recognition and greater powertrain research.

Future

It’s a promising sign that Honda is returning back to F1. Manufacturers are finding F1 more of an interesting venture than ever, with Audi confirmed for a 2026 engine supplier entry & Porsche and Honda looking close to following suit. 

Honda looks to ramp up their support of both Red Bull teams, with the teams, in turn, providing significant branding to its engine supplier. Providing greater credit for their efforts, the teams will be sporting Honda’s logos more vividly on the car, while likely renaming their engines as well. The Japanese manufacturer may make use of the upcoming Milton Keynes engine development centre, but the future of these facilities is yet to be clarified in the wake of this new agreement.