Red Bull Racing has had a phenomenal season this year after having won the Constructor’s Championship twice in a row by a huge margin. The Austrian team has managed to dominate all the other nine teams which was a hard pill to swallow for many. But here’s the deal, their supremacy did not start until the previous 2022 season as a number of fresh rules came into being in Formula 1, and as of now, it does not seem like it will be amended anytime soon.
However, this overwhelming power that Red Bull holds at the moment comes largely from their engine and engine suppliers, i.e., Honda. But it appears that the team has gotten off on the wrong foot with the Japanese manufacturers regarding information that the two share with one another.
This is bad news for the team and their star driver Max Verstappen, who is set to make history by winning this year’s championship by a large margin anytime soon.
🚨 | ‘Information War’ Between Red Bull And Honda Racing Corporation, Says President Of HRC Koji Watanabe
“Red Bull doesn’t tell us anything about their engine, and we don’t say anything to them about our development,”
“So there is already a kind of information war going on at… pic.twitter.com/MHxkmd4kYd
— el Formula (@elFormulaOne) September 30, 2023
As per the head of Honda Racing, Koji Watanabe, there is a “lack of information” regarding the details of the forthcoming engine that Red Bull will be using in the future. The president had stated, “Red Bull doesn’t tell us anything about their engine. And we don’t say anything to them about our development. So there is already a kind of information war going on at the moment.” This was shared by a media house named De Telegraaf and insinuates a toxic rivalry between the two companies.
What lies ahead for Red Bull as Honda bids Farewell?
The two giants have been partners since the 2019 season but are soon to separate their ways from 2026 onwards. Fast forward to 2026, and things are set to take a different turn. Honda is preparing to collaborate with Aston Martin, while Red Bull and Ford are establishing a new alliance. The split, which is forcing two racing giants down parallel roads, is being driven by the imminent change in regulations.
The Honda RBPTH001 🙌💪 x
Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT =
2023 @F1 Constructors’ World Champions 🏆🏁#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/9VEBcKyuQV— Honda Racing Global (@HondaRacingGLB) September 24, 2023
In Koji Watanabe’s words, “A collaboration with Red Bull was impossible, given their own plans to build an engine. But Formula 1 and our other activities in motorsport have been Honda’s backbone for decades. The very fact that we are active in Formula 1 and have also become champions sets us apart from Toyota, Nissan, and other brands” which indicates that they are not permanently retiring from the sport anytime soon.
Given that Red Bull had just won their second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, it would have been perfect for the two parties to continue working together. Unfortunately, the governing corporation of Honda canceled the F1 project in 2020, which finally led Red Bull Racing to sign a fresh agreement with Ford.
