Why did Honda announce their 'withdrawal' from F1? Red Bull answers

Honda ended their official involvement in F1 at the end of the 2021 season on a marvelous note, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen winning the world championship. Now, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has elucidated the reason for the same and addressed further future speculations in a recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast.

He explained that Honda were not continuing with the sport anymore due to their shift to electrification, which meant combustion engines were no longer part of their plans. Horner said:

“There’s plenty of speculation. Honda announced their withdrawal because their range of vehicles was heading the electrical route and obviously combustion engines didn’t form part of their future. So it’s difficult to imagine them doing a complete U-turn on that.”

The Red Bull boss also addressed Honda's postulated return to F1 in 2026, claiming that the hybridization of power units in the future could pave the way back for them. He said:

“But maybe there are elements that might want to come back in. With the 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power for the future power unit, maybe that is a route for them to retain an involvement in Formula 1.”

This is only speculation as Red Bull seem focused and invested in their own project until anything is confirmed. Horner said:

“But nothing we are doing is in any way dependent or contingent upon that – we are very much on our own track.”

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Red Bull boss on manufacturers coming to F1

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes the rising popularity and interest in Formula 1 is luring manufacturers to the sport. Despite the shift to complete electrical power by most, they are still keen to enter and commit to F1, which exemplifies the power of the sport.

In the same interview, Horner said:

“It’s great that the manufacturers are coming in, it just demonstrates how relevant Formula 1 is and how strong its marketing presence is because we’ve seen viewing figures we’ve never seen before. So it’s a case of the manufacturers sort of can’t afford not to be in.”

“Many of them have announced they have made their last ever combustion engine, yet here we are in Formula 1 committing to a V6 with sustainable fuels for the future.”

“And I think it just demonstrates the strength of Formula 1 because logically these guys would be going the Formula E route but the emotion and passion just isn’t there from what I see in that form of racing, whereas Formula 1 draws that raw emotion and technical excellence. So it’s great to see a manufacturer like Audi and hopefully Porsche coming into Formula 1 and a host of interest from many others.”

According to Horner, the strength of F1 is such that manufacturers are not ready to make a total commitment to electric power just yet. Meanwhile, many engine manufacturers are still planning to enter the sport, inspired by the likes of Porsche, Audi, and Honda.