F1 Engine Wars Could Force Red Bull To Partner With Honda Next Year

With McLaren and Toro Rosso swapping engines in 2018, it’s possible that Red Bull Racing could soon follow and sign with a new supplier next season.

In fact, according to Autosport, Red Bull’s partnership with Renault might actually be in the process of being cancelled by the French manufacturer, sparked by what happened recently between the latter and Toro Rosso.

Since neither Ferrari nor Mercedes have any intention of supplying a major rival any time soon, it would appear that Red Bull might have no choice but to agree to a Honda deal as soon as possible.

Motorsport fans probably know that a Red Bull-Honda alliance wouldn’t be anything new, especially since the two companies are partners in the FIM Superbike World Championship. If Red Bull will switch to Honda power in 2018, their only chance at being competitive is if the Japanese supplier improves dramatically over the winter break.

Another big question mark hovers over the status of Red Bull’s two star drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. The former will be a free agent after next season, while Verstappen is thought to have a performance-related release clause in his current deal, which will otherwise run through the 2019 season.

In the long term, Red Bull has also been linked to Porsche (potentially a new engine supplier) for 2021, so any possible deal with Honda could be just a temporary measure until a better prospect comes along.