Honda and Red Bull have announced that their motorsports collaboration will expand beyond F1. In addition, although the Japanese manufacturer will conclude its F1 powertrain project at the end of the season, Honda will continue to extend a helping hand towards the newly formed Red Bull Powertrains throughout 2022. 

Red Bull Powertrains will have the right to use Honda’s IP from 2022. However, to ensure a seamless transition, Honda will support Red Bull in building the powertrains and continue to provide trackside and race operation suppor throughout 2022 for Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Alpha Tauri.

Read: Red Bull Agrees To Take Over Honda’s Power Unit Thanks To Engine Freeze From 2022

The technical support will end in 2023, but some employees of Honda’s UK-based F1 engine program will join Red Bull Powertrains. From then on, all manufacturing and servicing of the engines will be the sole responsibility of the energy drink makers’ new venture.

However, eager not to throw away a good thing, Honda will remain closely linked with Red Bull for the foreseeable future. Honda says it is keen to continue its promotion of motorsport in Japan, with the ultimate goal of getting more Japanese drivers into top-line global racing. To facilitate this, both companies will expand their cooperation across various forms of motorsport and other sports and marketing activities.

The announcements weren’t wholly unexpected, with Honda-backed Yuki Tsunoda keeping his seat with Alpha Tauri for 2022 despite the Japanese driver being significantly outperformed by his team mate, Pierre Gasly. And, with Honda and Red Bull enjoying their best outing in the sport since the turbo-hybrid era began, the Japanese engine supplier is likely unwilling to undergo a repeat of their 2008 F1 exit where a package developed by them went on to win both driver’s and constructors championships under a new team.

“I’m glad that we have reached an agreement with Red Bull Group covering all the details of the IP rights for the F1 Power Unit, and in this way, Honda can still contribute to the motor racing world,” Koji Watanabe, Honda’s chief officer for brand and communication operations, said.

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Red Bull boss Christain Horner is happy that the partnership is transitioning into a new phase: “Red Bull’s collaboration with Honda has been enormously successful and while our relationship in Formula 1 is changing, neither of us wish for that to be the end of the story.

“We are very pleased that our ambitious and exciting Red Bull Powertrains project will be strongly supported by Honda, technically and operationally, in 2022, and this will help ensure that Red Bull’s transition to the status of chassis and power unit manufacturer is seamless. Equally as exciting is the news that our collaboration with Honda will extend to a variety of motorsport activities, from driver development to other racing disciplines and even across the wider sporting world.”

While it’s still unclear whether Honda’s branding will remain on the Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri cars beyond the 2021 season, it was also announced that all four-wheeled motorsport activities will now come under the umbrella of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation). HRC has operated Honda’s successful motorcycle racing activities for many years. The move is said to strengthen the Japanese company’s motorsport operation and branding, integrating the technologies and experiences the outfit has gained from both four-wheel and motorcycle motorsport activities. Moreover, HRC will support Red Bull’s Formula 1 activity in 2022.