Red Bull is leaving the door wide open for a full revival of the works Honda engine partnership.
The Japanese carmaker pulled out of F1 in an official capacity after Red Bull-Honda’s 2021 title breakthrough, with the energy drink owned-team subsequently setting up ’Red Bull Powertrains’.
With ’HRC’ (Honda Racing Corporation) branding on the 2022 car, Red Bull Powertrains now officially powers both Red Bull and Alpha Tauri cars - but the basis of the power units is still very much Honda.
Red Bull had intended to maintain that strategy through to 2026, when a new works partnership with Porsche would begin. But the Red Bull-Porsche talks recently collapsed.
Amid rumours Hyundai and Ford are also eyeing the 2026 rules, Red Bull has in the meantime rekindled talks with Honda - and the initial fruit of those talks is renewed ’Honda’ branding on the 2022 cars.
Dr Helmut Marko confirmed at Suzuka that after the Singapore GP, he took a detour to Tokyo for Honda talks.
"We were in Tokyo and had talks with Honda," he told Sky Deutschland.
"We now have to see what will come of it, because we have now set up an engine factory ourselves in Milton Keynes.
"But in the coming years the division between combustion engines and electric engines will be 50-50 so there is now also a possibility of sharing the tasks."