Honda talks about 'information war' with Red Bull as the power unit partnership gets closer to the end

Honda have claimed that they are not consulting or sharing information regarding engine development with Red Bull and vice versa as both parties continue on the path to becoming rivals from 2026 onwards.

The Japanese manufacturer has been supplying power units to the Austrian team since the beginning of the 2019 season. The duo have been the dominant force on the engine side since 2021 and have continued to win championships together.

However, Honda's announcement to re-enter the sport with Aston Martin in 2026 has put a strain on its relationship with the world champions. The Austrian team will have their powertrains with a partnership with Ford.

Speaking with De Telegraaf, Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe said:

“Red Bull doesn’t tell us anything about their engine, and we don’t say anything to them about our development. So there is already a kind of information war going on at the moment. At Red Bull, they do have some knowledge about our current engine but, ultimately, we are responsible for the development and the whole process.

“Most of the knowledge is with us. Until 2025, I hope Red Bull wins everything. And from 2026, we will hopefully be their biggest competitor. Building a completely new engine is a huge challenge, but our goal is also to win a championship in the next era.”

Can Red Bull win the remaining races in the 2023 season?

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner claimed he was unsure if they could win all the six remaining races including the Sprints in the 2023 season after their perfect run was halted in Singapore earlier this month.

Speaking with RacingNews365, Horner said:

“Honestly, I don't know. It’s impossible to predict. Obviously, Brazil was a struggle for us last year. We have a lot of sprint races coming up now, almost every other race is a sprint race.

“You get one session to sort your car out and that can put huge pressure. If you don't get quite in the right window after that P1, if you have a bit of rain or a compromised session, that can make it very tricky. So that could be an interesting factor for the next races.”

It will certainly be an achievement if the world champions are able to win the remaining races as it would take their tally to 21 race wins in 22 completed races for the 2023 season. This feat would be difficult to replicate for the other teams in the near future.