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After Red Bull Betrayal, Fans Place Their Bets on Honda’s Revenge Strategy: “You Know It’s Going to Happen”

Published 02/05/2023, 8:30 AM EST

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via Reuters

When everyone assumed that Christian Horner and Company ended up making a significant error by terminating a relationship with Porsche at the eleventh hour, Red Bull surprised everyone by teaming up with Ford, one of the most successful automotive industries. However, following the announcement of Red Bull Racing’s collaboration with Ford, its current engine brand, Japanese Honda, will need to look for a new team to work with from the beginning of 2026. The F1 audience appears to have some suggestions for the Japanese brand.

The relationship between Ford and Red Bull Powertrains was officially revealed on Friday afternoon. This collaboration will last from 2026 to 2030, and the automotive brand will also offer its services to the Red Bull sibling team. The Austrian outfit has announced that it will stop using Honda engines after 2025, even though these engines have helped the team win two drivers’ championships and one for the constructors. Nevertheless, according to Horner, the connection between Honda and the team won’t change as a result of these political announcements, and the two will continue to produce results through 2025.

At the unveiling of RB19, Horner stated to the GP blog and others, “We’ve had an incredible partnership with Honda and when they initially announced their withdrawal from Formula 1 in 2020, it was with great sadness and that’s what prompted the creation of Red Bull Powertrains, to take control for our own future. And as we set out on that journey, there was a change of plan with Honda, thankfully, to agree to continue to supply engines till the end of 2025, until we were building up our resource for 2026.”

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While concluding Horner said, “That contract we have is until the end of 2025. We have a great working relationship, they are an incredible company and under the current regulations, we will be pushing with Honda all the way until the last race of the 2025 season.”

The Honda has so far provided some excellent services to the Austrian squad and still has three more racing seasons to continue doing so through 2025. And speculation over whom Honda will next provide the engine has already started among F1 fans on Reddit.

After Christian Horner and Co. revealed a new deal with Ford, Reddit F1 fans predict who Honda will partner up next with

Ford won’t invest in Red Bull Racing. The two organizations, according to Horner, only have a multi-year agreement outlining what they will each provide to the table. However, when talking about the Japanese manufacturers, Horner noted that their paths are different from Honda’s. He said, “Our paths are different for the 2026 season and we wish Honda the very best of luck for 2026.”

The information was plenty for Reddit F1 aficionados to begin speculating about Honda’s potential next collaborations. Some of them pointed towards Mclaren, while some favored Aston Martin. Given below are some of the reactions we have brought you from Reddit.

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Some of the fans were seen discussing their own theories regarding what might have led Red Bull to join hands with Ford.

To this, a fan came up with a very logical reply of his.

WATCH THIS STORY: Christian Horner Speaks Up on Possible Audi-Porsche 2026 F1 Partnership – “Would Be Very Easy…”

Some fans also cited Horner’s reply of ‘OEM’ and took a jibe at the Red Bull team boss, as one of the fans asked.

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Since last November, Red Bull has taken a lot of big risks, like signing Daniel Ricciardo and maintaining its current livery with only minimal changes. And now that the news has been announced, it will be interesting to see how the Austrian outfit manages its relationship with Honda over the coming three years.

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Written by:

Aditya Srivastava

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Aditya Srivastava is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in History, due to his passion for the field, he couldn't hold himself back from entering the world of Sports Journalism. Being a huge fan of Formula 1, Aditya has taken up multiple internships and freelancing gigs where he got to pen down his thoughts about the most prestigious form of motor racing in the world.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai