Red Bull’s partnership with Ford came as a huge boost for the Red Bull PowerTrains with the new engine regulations starting in 2026. Despite signing a deal with one of the biggest and most prominent Automotive brands, the Red Bull taskmaster is still annoyed at their $49 Billion worth former partner for their commitment issues. But why is Helmut Marko annoyed? How did the commitment issues affect Red Bull?
Aston Martin announced their partnership with Honda starting in 2026. This will see Aston Martin becoming a works team as they are currently a Mercedes customer team. This move is the missing piece of the Puzzle in Lawrence Stroll and Co’s dream of winning the title. Sergio Perez recently appreciated Honda for the impressive work it had done for Red Bull. Checo then added that Aston Martin is a top constructors team and Honda is a top engine manufacturer. Together, the combination is going to be one of the best.
However, Honda announced its withdrawal from the sport in 2021, which forced Red Bull to set up the Red Bull PowerTrain. Earlier this year, Red Bull announced a partnership with Ford starting in 2026. Nonetheless, Helmut Marko suggested that Honda had already made up its mind last fall to make a comeback. If Honda would’ve made this decision to be in F1 earlier, it would’ve saved Red Bull a lot of resources used to set up the RBPT.
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According to F1Maximaal.nl, Helmut Marko said, “We were already talking about a collaboration last fall. Then it was clear that they would come back. If they had promised before, it would have saved us a lot of money, effort, and work. That constant going back and forth is annoying,” [Translated using Google]
As Helmut Marko found Honda’s indecisive nature annoying, Max Verstappen saw eye to eye with the Red Bull Taskmaster. Let’s see what Max Verstappen had to say about the Aston Martin and Honda partnership.
Max Verstappen on Honda making a comeback to F1 with Aston Martin
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Honda’s indecisive nature did cost Red Bull a lot. Max Verstappen explained how it’s unfortunate how things panned out with Honda wanting to leave the sport in 2021 and now making a comeback with a rival in 2026. Not only the resources that it cost Red Bull but also the great relationship that Honda had with Red Bull came to an end because of their back-and-forth decision to stay in F1.
According to racingnews365.com, Max Verstappen said, “From our side, it is a bit unfortunate how it all turned out [in the end] because a few years ago, they said: ‘We’re going to stop’ and then Red Bull sets up this whole engine division. Then at one point, [Honda] say: ‘Oh we’ll continue.’ When you’re already in the process of building a whole engine yourself, you can’t really work together anymore. It is a bit of a shame I would say. We always had and have a really good relationship with them – seeing them go to Aston Martin is a bit of a shame.”
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Watch this Story: How is Aston Martin Allying with Honda for its F1 Title Challenge from 2026?
Do you think Helmut Marko’s comments were appropriate?