Team Principal Christian Horner says Red Bull Racing are not looking to rebadge their power units with a sponsor when they take over the development of the Honda engines from 2022.
Red Bull announced on Monday that Red Bull Powertrains Ltd has been set-up so they can build and develop in-house the Honda power units once the Japanese manufacturer withdraws from Formula 1 at the end of 2021.
The team has previously rebadged their power units, specifically during their final years with Renault when it was named a ‘TAG-Heuer’ engine, but for 2022 and beyond, Horner says there is no plans to call it anything but a Red Bull engine.
“It will be a Red Bull engine,” Horner is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “So it will be, as Mercedes is a Mercedes, it will be an incorporated part of the car. So it will be a Red Bull.”
Horner says that they are not actively looking for another partner to help develop their engines, but if an ‘exciting partner’ comes around the corner, they would seriously discuss the possibility of a future link-up.
“I think we won’t be beholden on having a partner, so we’ve got the independence to do it ourselves,” he said. “If an exciting partner comes along, then of course it would make sense to look at it very seriously, whether that be an OEM or another type of partner, a battery manufacturer or whatever.
“It really depends what the engines are.”
Horner says there is already a push underway to recruit people to work within Red Bull Powertrains Ltd, although there are already some individuals who will remain with them from Honda even when the Japanese manufacturer withdraws.
“Obviously we will inherit the vast majority of HRD UK, which is the operational side of Honda, based in Milton Keynes,” said Horner. “So that gives us a standing start, in that already all the people that we already know and interface with, we’ll look to take under the new company.
“Then we are in the process of setting out some of the other roles that will be filled in the next coming weeks and months. But I think the agreement that we’ve achieved with Honda just buys us time to assemble the right group of people.”
