Honda's F1 chief to work with Red Bull

Honda’s F1 Managing Director Masashi Yamamoto confirmed he has left the Japanese company and will be assisting Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) with their engine development. The Japanese manufacturer’s former chief revealed that he has set up a new company that will help bridge the gap between Milton Keynes and Japan.

Explaining his new role with Red Bull, Yamamoto spoke to Motorsport Network and said:

“We have established a new company. We want to do something that makes people happy, and if we win in F1, then fans will be happy with that. We've signed a contract with the company at RBPT. The company has me, at the request of Red Bull's Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, to support them.”

Helping the team with their transition year of developing the Japanese manufactured engines, Yamamoto will essentially be the point of contact between the Milton Keynes-based engine division and Japan. The transition phase will include Honda manufacturing the engines in Japan and providing race support to the four-time world champions.

Detailing the significance of his role with the Austrian team, Yamamoto elaborated and said:

“It's a contract between companies, so it's difficult to speak about details, but as one of the members of Red Bull Powertrains, I will undertake work that will help them. If, for example, they want to understand Japanese culture and Honda's culture, and have a closer and better relationship with Honda, we can support it. Basically, it's a bridge between Red Bull and Japan.”

When Honda decided to exit F1, the Milton Keynes-based outfit set up its own engine division and decided to manufacture and use the Japanese technology until 2025. Initially, the 2022 engine will be manufactured in the Japanese facilities, however, at some point in the future, the team will rely on manufacturing the same technology on their own.

---

Red Bull F1 gearing up to welcome Honda staff to their engine division

Along with Masashi Yamamoto, several other Honda Racing Development UK staff are ready to join the Austrian team by the end of February 2022, as confirmed by Christian Horner recently. The Milton Keynes-based team's principal confirmed the transfer of the Japanese personnel to their powertrains division as part of a broader agreement with Honda to assist in the transition phase.