Will Verstappen take title with Honda on his car?
Great news for those who like to see ‘Honda’ on Max Verstappen’s car: from next weekend the Japanese brand will be clearly represented again on the cars of Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri.
Honda formally withdrew from Formula 1 after the past Formula 1 season, but in the background it is still just an engine supplier to Scuderia Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. That was not really visible this year until now, because there was no more than the logo of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) on the cars of both teams. That will change this weekend.
In Japan, Honda’s home country, the cars of the two teams will once again feature Honda. At least on the hood (just before the rear wheels) and on the nose of the cars. Red Bull’s RB18 will likely continue to have sponsorship from ByBit and Oracle on the rear wing, where Honda could be seen there last year. There may be a big Honda on the rear wing of AlphaTauri cars.
It will not be a one-off change, as Honda will remain on the cars for the rest of the season. Possibly even again next year. It is a confirmation of the continued cooperation between the two Red Bull teams and the Japanese brand. Honda currently mainly has a supporting role, Red Bull Powertrains takes care of the implementation of the Honda engines in the cars and the technicians who are present at the GPs also operate under that name.
Ready for more?
The fact that Red Bull and AlphaTauri are now going to use the Honda logos on the cars again may be a prelude to more. Honda would consider returning full-time as an engine supplier by 2026 in collaboration with Red Bull Powertrains. It will not be a deal like before, because then Honda was 100 percent responsible for the power sources. In the new collaboration, an important part of the development would be on the plate of the new Red Bull Powertrains.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl