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Honda to Extend Power Unit Technical Support Agreement with Red Bull Power Trains to End of 2025

TOKYO, Aug 3, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Following discussions between Red Bull and Honda, it has been agreed by both parties that Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the Honda subsidiary that runs its racing activities, will continue to provide technical support for Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) relating to Formula 1 power units from 2023 to the end of 2025. In 2022, HRC has been providing PU-related technical support in line with Red Bull's request to Honda, with both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri therefore using the PU from the support program. The extension of the existing agreement for HRC to continue providing technical support from 2023 to 2025 has now been mutually agreed between Red Bull and Honda.Honda officially ended its participation in Formula 1 at the end of 2021, with the resources allocated to PU development diverted to meet the company's future carbon-neutral goals. The ongoing agreement between the two parties does not involve PU development, therefore HRC will be able to provide this service from within its current resources.Dr. Helmut Marko, Motorsport Advisor, Oracle Red Bull Racing: "We thank Honda for their positive response to working together. We are excited to continue our partnership in F1 until the end of 2025 with the PU supplied by Honda. We have had a successful relationship so far, winning the Drivers' championship in 2021 and currently leading the Drivers' and Teams' classifications, with the aim of securing both 2022 titles."Christian Horner, Red Bull Powertrains CEO and Team Principal: "Red Bull's partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA's power unit regulations in 2025."Koji Watanabe, Head of Corporate Communications Supervisory Unit, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and President of Honda Racing Corporation: "We have agreed to continue supporting Red Bull Power Trains in Formula 1 through HRC, following Red Bull's request to extend our current agreement, which HRC can meet within its existing resources. Once again, we aim to use our involvement in the pinnacle of motorsport for the development of technologies and of our workforce." Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Formula One: Wolff spars verbally with Horner and says gloves are off

DOHA (REUTERS) - Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff declared the gloves were off as he and Red Bull rival Christian Horner engaged in more verbal sparring at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Friday (Nov 19). The two principals have been needling each other all season amid the ebbs and flows of the title battle and they appeared together in a scheduled news conference between practice sessions at Losail. The fighting talk came to the fore again, following on from last weekend's race in Brazil that was overshadowed by suspicions and accusations. Asked whether there was still mutual respect ahead of the final three races, Wolff replied: "There are many great people working in Red Bull and obviously many in Mercedes and it's a hell of a fight. "There is a respect for the capability that Red Bull has, definitely, and it's clear that this is tough. It's the world championship of the highest category in motor racing and what started as Olympic boxing went to pro boxing and is now MMA. "Gloves are off and nothing else is to be expected." Horner, asked for his view, replied bluntly: "There is no relationship." Defining it as "the most intense political title fight" the team had ever experienced, he said relationship and respect were different things and he respected the achievements of Mercedes and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. "But I don't need to go to dinner with Toto, I don't need to kiss his arse or anything like that. There's a few other team principals who might..." Horner, who recently compared Wolff to a 'pantomime dame' after being labelled a 'windbag' before that by the Austrian, said they were just very different characters. More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Bottas quickest ahead of Gasly in Qatar practice   Related Story Formula One: Red Bull ready to protest against Mercedes rear wing, says Horner "Am I going to be spending Christmas with Toto? Probably not, unless you're in panto this year? I might take the kids," added the Briton. "You don't have to be best mates with your opponents. How can you be? I think that would be dishonest to fake a facade when you're competing against each other." Mercedes are 11 points clear of Red Bull in the constructors' championship but Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 14 ahead of Hamilton. More on this topic   Related Story Motor racing: Formula One stewards turn down Mercedes request for review of Brazil incident   Related Story Formula One: Hamilton and Verstappen take a step into the unknown

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Formula One: ‘Red Bull want me to win in Mexico,’ says home star Perez

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Local hero Sergio Perez ducked the question on Thursday (Nov 4) when asked if he would give up an historic home win in Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix to help Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen's title bid. "It would be a great problem to have," he said. "But it always depends on the situation because most of the decisions are normally taken during the race in the heat of the event. "So I think that depending on the circumstances, we'll see, but I'm pretty sure that the whole team, Red Bull, everyone, wants me to win this weekend." A win would make Perez the first Mexican driver to win his home race. "I think everyone is so enthusiastic, everyone at my team, the crowd," he added. "It's a very special venue for us. It's a very intense fight. And we'll see through the race. "I'm pretty sure that for everyone in the team, if there's a race they want me to win, it's this one. So, I'm sure I have full support from everyone in my team." Following the cancellation of the race last year, Perez has received an enthusiastic welcome home. "The reception has been incredible and I am very happy to be back," he said. "Everything is sold out. The promoter just told me that he is trying to find a way to put more grandstands, but there is no more space. "A lot of friends are calling to get them a ticket, but I don't have anything. It's very cool." Verstappen is locked in an intense battle for the championship with defending seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who he leads by 12 points with five races remaining. More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Title race stacking up in favour of Red Bull's Max Verstappen   Related Story Motor racing: Formula One says Miami GP set to be a sellout

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Formula One: Verstappen edges Hamilton for US grand prix pole position

AUSTIN, TEXAS (AFP) - Max Verstappen in a Red Bull stormed to pole position for the US Grand Prix on Saturday (Oct 23), edging out title rival and Mercedes' world champion Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen claimed his ninth pole of the season with a time of 1min 32.910sec, two tenths faster than the British driver. Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull, was third fastest, just 0.15sec behind Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas, in the second Mercedes, was fourth fastest, but will drop to ninth on the gird for Sunday's race after changing his engine. "In Q3, my first lap wasn't amazing but in the final lap it started drizzling in the final sector so I wasn't sure if I could hold on to my lap time but it came together," said Verstappen. Verstappen went into the weekend with a six-point championship lead over Hamilton with six races left. However, Hamilton has won five of the eight races held at the Austin track since its 2012 debut. Bottas was victorious once, in the last event held in 2019. By contrast, Verstappen has finished fourth, third and second. "I gave it everything today - it was a bit of a struggle through qualifying," said Hamilton. "I think from P1 onwards we kind of fell back a little bit and the Red Bull guys were incredibly quick. He added: "I was happy with my last lap, of course there's always areas we can improve but I think that was pretty much everything we had. "We'll just work as hard as we can tomorrow. My mindset is to win the race." More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Perez tops final practice for US grand prix   Related Story Formula One: Dogged by engine issues, Mercedes dominate US grand prix opening practice In an indication of the intense pressure building in the title race, Verstappen had branded Hamilton a "stupid idiot" in Friday practice. He was angered by the Mercedes man pushing past on the inside of his Red Bull when the Dutchman was lining up a flying lap. Despite Hamilton's love of the track, Red Bull do at least have one win in Texas courtesy of Sebastian Vettel in 2013. The rest of Sunday's top half of the grid is made up of Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz followed by Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris in the McLarens. AlphaTauri duo Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda were the next fastest. More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Verstappen calls Hamilton a 'stupid idiot' as F1 rivals clash   Related Story Formula One: Bottas takes five-place grid penalty for sixth engine

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Cooperation between Honda and Red Bull Group as from 2022

TOKYO, Oct 8, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Honda and Red Bull Group have agreed on a programme of cooperation focused on a variety of motorsport activities, including Formula 1, young driver development and other forms of motorsport, as well as encompassing marketing and branding initiatives.As announced on 2 October 2020, Honda will conclude its Formula 1 project as a Power Unit supplier at the end of the 2021 season. It will make use of all the experience, human resources and technical know-how it has gained in the past seven years of the hybrid era to help reach Honda's goal of achieving carbon neutrality throughout the company.Motorsport has always been part of Honda's DNA and the company will continue to strive to be the best in every category it enters, while at the same time promoting the values and excitement of the sport.On the specific matter of the Honda Formula 1 PU, Red Bull Powertrains will have the right to use Honda IP from 2022, as a support for their F1 programmes with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri teams. This is as a result of the request made to Honda by Red Bull following our announcement that we are leaving the sport.The three key points of the agreement between the two companies are:1) Red Bull Powertrains has the right to use Honda's IP relating to the Power Unit.2) Honda will support Red Bull Powertrains in building the 2022 PU and also provide trackside and race operation support from Japan throughout the 2022 season, and from 2023, Red Bull Powertrains will take responsibility for all manufacturing and servicing of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri's engines.3) Employees of Honda Racing Development UK (Milton Keynes) will become employees of Red Bull Powertrains.In addition, Red Bull and Honda will continue to work together on their respective young driver programmes, the Red Bull Junior Team and Honda Formula Dream Project, to further promote the growth of motorsport in Japan, with the ultimate goal of getting more Japanese drivers into top-line global motorsport, as has happened with Yuki Tsunoda in Formula 1.There will also be additional cooperation between the two companies dealing with various forms of motorsport and indeed other sports and marketing activities. As usual, the aim of this particular aspect of the project is to promote Honda's wide range of mobility products to a wider audience. In an operational change, all these four-wheeled motorsport activities will now come under the umbrella of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), the company that has so successfully run Honda-s motorcycle racing activities for many years. This is to strengthen Honda's motorsport operation and branding, making it more efficient integrating the technologies and experiences we have gained from both four-wheel and motorcycle motorsport activities. Specifically, HRC will support the Red Bull Group's Formula 1 activity in 2022, taking charge of all the above-mentioned points.It is Honda's stated aim to continue to allow its customers to fulfil their motorsport dreams thanks to the efforts of everyone at Team Honda, meaning the drivers, riders, engineers and mechanics involved in so many different championships around the world.Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Honda CEO and Team Principal, "Red Bull's collaboration with Honda has been enormously successful and while our relationship in Formula 1 is changing, neither of us wish for that to be the end of the story. We are very pleased that our ambitious and exciting Red Bull Powertrains project will be strongly supported by Honda, technically and operationally, in 2022 and this will help ensure that Red Bull's transition to the status of chassis and power unit manufacturer is seamless. Equally as exciting is the news that our collaboration with Honda will extend to a variety of motorsport activities, from driver development to other racing disciplines and even across the wider sporting world. This stretch of Honda's Formula 1 voyage is coming to an end but together we are embarking on a new and fascinating journey."Koji Watanabe, Chief Officer for Brand and Communication Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd."I'm glad that we have reached an agreement with Red Bull Group covering all the details of the IP rights for the F1 Power Unit and in this way, Honda can still contribute to the motor racing world. We are now working hard to strengthen HRC's structure, so that it can ensure our fans will be able to continue to enjoy Honda's role in all types of motorsport." Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

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Formula One: FIA reject Red Bull review of Verstappen-Hamilton British GP crash

SILVERSTONE, UNITED KINGDOM (AFP) - Red Bull on Thursday (July 29) failed in their bid to win a review into the "insufficient" penalty imposed on Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton for the crash which took out Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix. World champion Hamilton was given a 10-second penalty after the first lap incident which ended Verstappen's race. Hamilton went on to win at Silverstone and slash the Dutchman's championship lead to just eight points ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. While Hamilton celebrated, Verstappen had to go to hospital. On Thursday, governing body the FIA said that Red Bull had not provided any "new, significant and relevant elements" likely to justify a review of the decision taken during the race. After Red Bull's request, the two teams were called to see stewards on Thursday in Hungary. Red Bull presented GPS data to prove that Hamilton's overtaking at turn nine should be more severely penalised. However, this was not enough to deliver a further sanction for the British star who can claim a 100th victory on Sunday. More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: 'I'd do it again', says Hamilton after Verstappen Silverstone crash   Related Story Formula One: 'That's not how you celebrate a win,' says Verstappen as Hamilton row goes on

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Motor racing: F1 leaders Red Bull feel targeted by move to slow pitstops

STYRIA, AUSTRIA (REUTERS) - Formula One leaders Red Bull said a move to slow down pitstops on safety grounds appeared to be aimed at reducing their advantage but could instead add to the danger. The governing FIA issued a technical directive to teams before the weekend's Steiermark grand prix in Austria to clarify the rules and prevent the use of automated systems during pitstops. New controls will be enforced from the Hungarian Grand Prix in August. Red Bull hold the record for the quickest pitstop at 1.82 seconds and regularly manage to change all four tyres in less than two seconds - a time considerably faster than rivals Mercedes usually achieve. "If you can't be beaten then obviously the most logical thing is for your competitors to try to slow you down, and that's obviously what's happening here," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told reporters. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff revealed that his team had asked the FIA some three or four weeks ago about a safety mechanism related to a system they were using and asking if it could be optimised. "Did that trigger anything else? Maybe. I don't know," added the Austrian. Horner said teams already had a duty to ensure their cars were safe as they left the pitlane and the penalties for a wheel not being fixed were 'brutal'. "What the technical directive is trying to achieve, I'm not quite sure because I think there's an awful lot of complexity to it," he said. "I think you can see there's an awful lot of pointed activity in our direction at the moment - but that comes with the territory of being competitive." Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 12 points clear of Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton while the team are 37 points clear in the constructors' standings. Mercedes have had several glaringly slow pitstops, most notably when they failed to remove a jammed wheel from Valtteri Bottas' car until the Tuesday after the Monaco Grand Prix. More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Bottas penalised for alarming pitlane spin, Verstappen fastest in practice   Related Story Motor racing: Verstappen ready to pounce as cracks widen in Mercedes armour Horner said there had been previous discussions and directives on pitstop procedures and the latest was not well thought through. "To have to hold a car for two tenths of a second I think you could almost argue that it is dangerous because you are judging your gaps and the guy releasing the car is having to make that judgement," he said. "Formula One is about innovation and competition and seeing pit stops in sub-two seconds is a remarkable feat and we should be encouraging it, not trying to control it. "Otherwise, where does it stop? We're going to be told which way we should walk into the garage, where we should sit on the pit wall and which buttons we should press, I guess." More on this topic   Related Story Motor racing: Turkey replaces cancelled Singapore race on F1 calendar   Related Story Formula One: Mercedes vow maximum attack at Red Bull's home track

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Motor racing: Red Bull hire more engine experts from F1 rivals Mercedes

LONDON (REUTERS) - Red Bull have hired another group of engine experts from Formula One rivals Mercedes as they prepare to build their own power unit after Honda's departure at the end of the season. The team last month announced Ben Hodgkinson, head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), had been hired as technical director of Red Bull Powertrains. On Thursday (May 6), they announced five further appointments to key roles, all from Mercedes. No starting dates were given and all are likely to have a long period of "gardening leave" before joining. Red Bull also said a new head of mechanical development would be revealed soon. "We know that success will only be achieved by bringing in the best and brightest talent, by providing them with the right tools and by creating the right environment in which they can thrive," said team boss Christian Horner. "Each of the senior personnel announced today bring a wealth of experience, expertise and innovativity to the Red Bull Powertrains programme and provide us with the strongest possible technical platform for the future." Mercedes principal Toto Wolff, whose team have dominated the V6 turbo hybrid era since 2014, recognised last week that a number of staff would be leaving the Brixworth factory and moving to Milton Keynes. "It's clear that they (Red Bull) are going to hire English engineers because it's in the United Kingdom and there are not a lot of companies that can probably provide those engineers," said the Austrian. "So absolutely understood what the strategy is." More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Red Bull's Horner tells Wolff to mind his own business with engine talk   Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes admit Red Bull 'edge' ahead of Imola showdown Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose closest title rival is Red Bull's Max Verstappen, played down the departures when asked whether the team could be unsettled by them. "There is obviously all of this stuff going on in the background," said the Briton. "Toto will be working to manage it in the best way possible. "Every individual that's in our team is amazing and it's not a surprise that everybody will want them... I wish them all the best. We all have to go through our own journeys and make our own decisions. "But this is a huge team and it's not about one individual, or even five." Mercedes are leading both championships after three races, with seven times world champion Hamilton eight points clear of Verstappen. The next race is in Spain this weekend. More on this topic   Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes' Bottas shoots down speculation about a mid-season move   Related Story Motor racing: Give 'amazing' Bottas a break, says Hamilton

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Formula One: Red Bull’s Horner tells Wolff to mind his own business with engine talk

PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL (REUTERS) - Red Bull boss Christian Horner suggested Toto Wolff should mind his own business after the Mercedes principal speculated about his Formula One rivals possibly getting together with Volkswagen's Audi or Porsche brands. "Toto always likes to think he knows what's going on in other people's business. Perhaps he needs to think about his own," Horner told Sky Sports at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Friday. Wolff earlier said it was no secret the Volkswagen Group was looking at Formula One and a link-up with Red Bull was 'logical'. Red Bull are powered by Honda at present but the Japanese manufacturer is leaving at the end of this year and handing over their engine technology to Red Bull for them to produce their own power unit. Formula One is planning to introduce a new engine from 2025 and manufacturers not currently involved are keeping a close eye on the eventual specification. "The arrangement they (Red Bull) have on the IP (intellectual property) side with Honda really makes sense," said Wolff. "They are taking over the IP from Honda and obviously developing the new power unit into 2025. "It could stay within Red Bull power units, or it could go to Porsche or Audi. So overall, I think it makes sense what they do." More on this topic   Related Story Formula One: Hamilton back on top in Portuguese GP practice   Related Story Motor racing: Russell says relations with Wolff undamaged by Imola crash Red Bull and Volkswagen worked together in rallying before the German manufacturer announced last year it was pulling out of motorsport. "It's just logical that they (VW) are going to look at a relationship with Red Bull," said Wolff, whose team have won the last seven drivers' and constructors' world championships but face a tough challenge from Red Bull this year. Horner said there were currently "no discussions in place" about what their future engine might be branded. Red Bull last week announced they had hired Ben Hodgkinson, head of mechanical engineering at British-based Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrain, as technical director of their new engine company. "I guess it was expected that this would happen and this is just a battleground such as the one on track," said Wolff of the move. More on this topic   Related Story Motor racing: Hamilton plans to stay in F1 after exciting start to season   Related Story Formula One: Silverstone will be first circuit to trial sprint qualifying

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Perez to partner Verstappen

PARIS • Sergio Perez will replace Alexander Albon at Red Bull next season, the Formula One outfit announced yesterday. The Mexican driver, who was out of contract with Racing Point, will race alongside Dutchman Max Verstappen, who finished third overall in the standings and took the chequered flag at last weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi race. The popular racer - F1's only Latin American driver - put himself in the frame to replace the inconsistent Albon with a stirring first F1 win at Sakhir in Bahrain in the penultimate race of the season. Having also claimed the runner-up place in Turkey, the two podium places went a long way in helping Perez - the first Mexican to win a Grand Prix in 50 years - not only finish fourth overall in the standings but also clinch a spot at one of F1's most coveted teams. "The chance to race for a championship-contending team is something I have been hoping for since I joined Formula One and it will be a proud moment to step onto the grid in Red Bull colours alongside Max," the 30-year-old said. "The team has the same winning mentality as me and I know I am here to perform." Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose team are aiming to be more competitive next season after Mercedes picked up their seventh straight constructors' title, reckons they have the perfect partner for 23-year-old Verstappen. "Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances, we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021," he said. Albon, 24, had an up-and-down first full season in the role and his demotion leaves Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who will debut for Italian team AlphaTauri next term, as the only Asian driver on the grid. But Horner insisted the British-born Thai, who finished seventh in the standings, would remain a valuable part of the Red Bull set-up. "Alex is a valued member of the team and we thought long and hard about this decision," he said. "Alex remains an important part of our team as test and reserve driver with a key focus on 2022 development and we would like to thank him for his hard work and contribution." Before the call from Red Bull, Perez was eyeing a season off after his seat at Racing Point was handed to Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion released by Ferrari. Separately, Ineos will acquire a one-third share of the Mercedes team with parent company Daimler AG cutting back its stake, the champions announced yesterday. The petrochemicals giant, owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, will become an equal partner with Daimler and the F1 outfit's chief executive officer and team principal Toto Wolff. As part of the transaction, Daimler will reduce its stake from 60 per cent, while Wolff will raise his shareholding from 30 per cent. The announcement also clears up his future, with the Austrian, 48, staying on as CEO and team principal for three more years. He said: "This new investment confirms the business case for F1 teams is robust and sends an important signal of confidence in the sport after a challenging year." AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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Racing heat is on Vettel with Perez’s sizzling form

LONDON • Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel now has big shoes to fill next season after Sergio Perez won Sunday's Sakhir Grand Prix for Racing Point, Formula One's motorsport managing director Ross Brawn said on Monday. The German is joining what will be the rebranded Aston Martin team from Ferrari, where he has been out of sorts the past two years. The move has pushed on-form Perez, who at 30 is three years younger than Vettel, out of the door. While the Mexican currently has no seat lined up for next year, he is fourth in the drivers' standings after his first F1 win and rumours persist he could replace Alexander Albon at Red Bull, as the Thai has yet to convince alongside teammate Max Verstappen. Brawn, in a column on the formula1.com website, repeated his view that it will be a "tragedy" if Perez is not on the grid next year. "The team (Racing Point) must be thinking about the decisions they have made, losing him when he's driving so well," said the Briton. "His replacement I'm sure will come back stronger, as he's in a bit of a trough at the moment, but Checo is a guaranteed deal. "So that'll be interesting to see how that develops. In a way, Seb has fairly big shoes to fill now, even if he's a world champion." Vettel won his titles with Red Bull from 2010-13 and has 53 race wins. However, he only has one podium finish this year - third at last month's Turkish Grand Prix - while last season, he had just one race win in Singapore. But Perez is not expecting a call from Red Bull, telling Sky F1 yesterday: "No, I don't think (so), to be honest. My picture is getting clearer. If I am not on the grid next year, I already have options to come back in 2022. So I am at peace with myself. "I'm in a nice place. I can definitely take a year out." Meanwhile, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff confirmed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was making good progress in his recovery from Covid-19 but would need to return a negative test by tomorrow to ensure his participation in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. REUTERS

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