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Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen (33) of the Netherlands drives during the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Several teams have approached Honda about a partnership when Formula One’s new engine era begins in 2026 but no decision has been made on future involvement, the Japanese manufacturer said on Monday.
Honda has an agreement to build engines in Japan for world champion Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri but it will end in 2025.
Red Bull has set up its own powertrain company in Milton Keynes and this month announced a new partnership with Ford from 2026.
Honda, which officially withdrew from Formula One after pipping double Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen to his first title in 2021, has signed up to be one of six power unit suppliers from 2026-30.
“After registering, we have been contacted by several Formula One teams,” Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe told reporters at a Zoom briefing from Sakura headquarters on Monday.
“For now, we want to be careful where Formula One goes and see how it goes,” he said.
“At the moment we don’t have a concrete decision on whether we will return to Formula One or not.
But…we think being part of Formula One will help us develop the technology. So that’s where we are.”
Watanabe said the future direction of Formula One is in line with Honda’s own carbon neutrality targets and increased electrification.
“That’s why we decided to register as a power unit manufacturer,” he said. “We are interested to see where Formula One is going and how it will look with more electrification.”
Sustainable fuel
The next-generation Formula One engine will keep the high-revving 1.6-liter V6 but with more electric power and 100% sustainable fuel. The sport also has a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
The power unit in Red Bull this year will be added the name of the Japanese car manufacturer to change from RBPT to Honda RBPT.
Tetsushi Kakuda, F1 project leader and executive engineer, told reporters that the company has been working to solve reliability problems for 2023.
Verstappen won 15 of 22 races last season, and Red Bull 17 overall, but the Dutchman retired from two of the first three rounds.
“Last year I believe that all power unit manufacturers prioritized performance in development, and so did we,” Kakuda said. “We have made every effort to recover the performance lost due to the E10 fuel provided by the regulatory change.
“However, as a result, the internal load of the engine is increased compared to the previous year and reliability is greatly compromised. As a result, some problems arise in the 2022 season.
He said that Honda has optimized control and energy management and is working with suppliers to improve the precision of power unit parts and units.
Yasuaki Asaki, general manager of Honda’s motor racing development division, has announced that he will retire at the end of March.
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