Helmut Marko reveals why Red Bull is insistent on being a “self-sufficient” works team 

Red Bull's Helmut Marko emphasized the team's need to be self-sufficient heading into the future. The Austrian feels as though earlier ties with engine manufacturers such as Renault caused significant harm to the team's engineering department.

The team had a bitter-sweet relationship with former engine supplier Renault, whose engines performed unreliably on multiple occasions. Marko claims that developing their own powertrains will help the team maintain control over the tweaking of the engine design, a crucial aspect in developing a championship-winning car. Speaking to AutoRevue, Marko said:

“[It’s important] from a psychological point of view, but also from a technical point of view. You get what you’re given, because these engine manufacturers have their own team. But for Mr. Newey [Adrian, Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer] and the entire technical team, it’s incredibly important that they have a say and that a radiator [for example] is possibly placed differently.”

The F1 veteran's point of view is that designers such as Adrian Newey can benefit from the lack of regulations imposed by engine suppliers. If the designer feels as if the positioning of a certain element of the engine ought to be changed for the benefit of the car, having an in-house engine will make it much easier to do.

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Red Bull to continue working with Honda in 2022

Honda formally ended their stint in F1 at the end of the 2021 world championship. As per Christian Horner, however, the Japanese engine giant will continue supplying engines to Red Bull until 2025. Horner spoke about their extended partnership, saying:

“As part of our agreement with Honda, the engines continue to be assembled in Japan, in Sakura, and support [will come] with technical assistance from Japan. It’s something we’re in discussion about at the moment. The probability is that the engines will, as per 2022, continue to be produced and built in Japan and shipped to us. They’ll come as sealed units from Japan; all the race support will happen from Japan as well this year. It’s a technical agreement, so it’s a very broad brush at the moment.”

Further, several Honda employees are set to join the Austrian team in hopes of continuing their F1 success. They will become direct employees of the newly-formed Red Bull Powertrains. The big question in the minds of fans is what the engines would be called in the new season. Horner revealed that:

“The engine will be branded as a Red Bull engine. We still have an affiliation of branding which will be announced later in the season. They won’t be totally invisible.”

Only time will tell whether the team will be successful in defending Max Verstappen's maiden F1 title in 2022. In the coming months, drivers like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be hard on the Dutchman's tail.