Honda has been integral to Red Bull’s success over the last three years. After joining hands in the 2019 season, they’ve won three Drivers’ and two Constructors’ Championships together over the past five years. Thanking its crucial partner, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner took a subtle dig at the team that became its closest rival towards the end of this record-breaking season. 

The 2023 season was the most dominant in the history of the sport. Of the 22 races that had taken place, the Honda-powered Red Bull RB19 won 21. Winning all but one race in a season has been done only once before, and it was McLaren that did it 35 years ago. Coincidentally, McLaren, too, had its MP4/4 powered by Honda back then. And that’s precisely what Horner used to fire shots at the Woking-based team.

Christian Horner & Co. have had more success with Honda than McLaren

Before the turbo-hybrid era, Red Bull, with Renault’s engine, won 4 consecutive titles from 2010-2013. However, the French manufacturer’s engines produced for the turbo-hybrid era proved to be massively inconsistent. Eventually, tensions between Red Bull and Renault reached a boiling point at the end of the 2018 season, and the Milton-Keynes outfit finally called off the partnership and began its collaboration with Honda.

At the time, Honda was coming off the back of a tough period as well. After a poor second stint supplying McLaren from 2015 to 2017, the Woking-based squad ended the partnership prematurely. In 2018, Toro Rosso instead ran with Honda engines, and Red Bull joined its sister team in 2019. Considering Honda’s stint with McLaren, this move raised eyebrows. But Christian Horner explained the thought process behind the decision and how it has paid off.

As quoted by Formula Passion, Horner said, “Since our first race [with Honda] in 2019, where we scored a podium on our debut and then three wins, we have now had more wins for Honda than McLaren in its glory days.” Horner referred to the 1988 to 1991 seasons, where the McLaren-Honda partnership achieved similar levels of domination. “They have been an important part of the results we have been able to achieve in recent years, and this one in particular,” he continued.

The thought process? “McLaren had rejected Honda, Sauber had given up on a deal with Honda. So strategically, it made sense to put Honda alongside Toro Rosso, thus giving Red Bull the opportunity to evaluate against our current partner.” Horner added, “In June 2018, we reached a tipping point, and we had to make a decision. Based on the commitment we could see, the spirit and resources Honda was applying, it was obvious to us that Honda’s path was the right one to take.” [Translated by Google]

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However, much to everyone’s surprise, Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2021, citing sustainability reasons. Red Bull is now producing its own engines with the Honda IPs, thanks to a deal they managed to strike, creating the Red Bull Powertrains. However, this exit, too, will be short-lived, as the Japanese manufacturer has already announced a return to Formula 1.

F1 is moving toward Honda’s vision

In 2026, Honda is all set to return to the sport. However, it will not be joining forces with the Austrian team it enjoyed success with over the past five years. Instead, it’ll join Aston Martin, replacing Mercedes as the British team’s engine supplier. Honda’s U-turn can be explained by the new engine regulations that will come into play in 2026. The new regulations will see a “significant increase in the deployment of electrical power and use of a 100 percent sustainable fuel.”

Discussing Honda’s imminent return to F1 with Aston Martin, Honda’s Chief Executive Officer Toshihir Mibe commented, “One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to be a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality.”

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Had McLaren stuck with Honda despite the 2015 to 2017 seasons, do you think it would’ve been the team to beat right now rather than Red Bull?