Max Verstappen is arguably the most in-form driver in F1 today. He won his first World Title in 2021 after a grueling Title fight with Lewis Hamilton and followed it with a comfortable Title victory in 2022. After years of struggle, he put both Red Bull and Honda on top once again.
Red Bull had won the Title last in 2013 until Verstappen’s win. Honda meanwhile, has been involved in various aspects of F1 since 1964 and is one of the sport’s biggest names. However, they had been struggling massively over the last few years, especially during their partnership with McLaren.
MAX VERSTAPPEN, WORLD CHAMPION! 🏆 #ThePowerOfDreams pic.twitter.com/dCZj6i7eIN
— Honda Racing F1_Archive (@HondaRacingF1) December 12, 2021
They signed up as manufacturers for Red Bull and AlphaTauri in 2018, and since then they have been on the up. Verstappen guided them to occasional wins between 2018 and 2020 (a period completely dominated by Mercedes), but it was in 2021 that the Honda-Red Bull partnership really clicked. The Dutchman ended Hamilton’s dominance by winning the Championship in dramatic fashion.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Honda officially left F1 but maintained ties with Red Bull to help the Milton-Keynes-outfit transition into their power-unit department.
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Honda no longer wants ties with Red Bull and Max Verstappen
According to AMuS, Honda has signed up as an engine manufacturer for the 2026 season. That will be the season when engine regulations take a massive hit, and we will see the introduction of whole new power units.
Red Bull and AlphaTauri are still connected to Honda and even have their logos displayed on the cars. However, reports suggest that the Japanese manufacturers are looking for a new team in F1. Honda’s recent success due to Verstappen’s win in 2021 and Red Bull’s dominant 2022 campaign has shown them that they can make it big in F1.
The main reason for the exit in 2021 was to be able to focus on the development and construction of electric cars. With the increased share of electronics from 2026, a re-entry with technology transfer can be well justified.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) December 12, 2022
This is why they want to move on from Red Bull and a join a team where they can have a bigger identity of their own.
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Why did Honda return to F1?
After the 2021 season, Honda were adamant that they were done with F1 for the time being. Despite that, just under a year later, their logos made a return on the Red Bull and AlphaTauri cars. They initially exited F1 because they wanted to focus on electric cars and wanted their resources to be diverted to that department.
However, the 2026 power units will have a ‘bigger share of electronics’. This has compelled them to make a full return to F1, much sooner than they had planned to.
