Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has given his opinion on whether the energy drinks company can develop its very own F1 engine after Honda announced its departure after 2021.
Red Bull, despite being an energy drinks company, is a major name in sports. Apart from the four-time world-beating F1 team, Red Bull also has two football teams, apart from involvement in other sports. In F1, after struggling in the initial years, the team has become a prominent name in the paddock.
When asked by Ted Kravitz of Sky Sports about what sets them apart from main rivals Mercedes and Ferrari, team principal Christian Horner spoke about the culture and vibe at their Milton Keynes base. He then went on to point out the varying personalities their drivers have had over the years.
“I think it’s the culture of how we go racing. There’s a different kind of vibe at Red Bull.”
“They all have different personalities. Max (Verstappen) is different from (Sebastian) Vettel and Daniel (Ricciardo) is different from (Alex) Albon. They are privileged members of the team because they are allowed to drive a product that everyone is working on”.
Can Red Bull produce its own F1 engine?
The announcement by Honda that it will take a sabbatical from F1 after the 2021 season shocked many. This effectively leaves Red Bull and AlphaTauri without an engine provider, unless they say hello to Renault, however unlikely that might be. Alternatively, Red Bull could choose to develop its own engine, as they did with the chassis.
“The relationship with Honda was great, but unfortunately it’s gonna be short-lived. The big question then is: Can an energy drink produce an engine that can compete with the best in the world? We did it with the chassis, so it should also be possible with the engine.”
Also read: Honda in F1: Formula 1 MD Ross Brawn optimistic of Honda making yet another comeback to F1
