Whose engine will Red Bull use in F1 2023? Breaking down future engine supply contracts

Honda's logo will make a return on the Red Bull F1 cars after an agreement was reached between the two teams. What this does is that it marks the first step taken by the two entities in joining together for the future. Honda had previously announced in the 2020 F1 season that it was looking at solutions that were more environmentally centric.

This meant that the Japanese outfit that was the sole power unit supplier for both the Red Bull teams, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, would leave the sport by the end of the 2021 F1 season. The 2021 F1 season was the last season for Honda in which the Japanese manufacturer would power Max Verstappen to his first championship win.

Since there was a power unit freeze that was put in place from the 2022 F1 season onwards. The team negotiated with Honda to transfer the intellectual property to the Milton Keynes-based squad as the team started work on the Red Bull powertrains. Until the facility was up and running, Honda extended its support to the team.

RBPT (Red Bull Powertrains) started with the aim of transforming the team into a complete in-house project with no third party involved in power unit supply. Since the engines were still being supplied by Honda, an 'HRC' logo (Honda Racing Corporation) was added to the car as Red Bull had discussions with Porsche about a possible partnership in the 2026 F1 season.

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Understanding the entire Red Bull-Honda engine situation

After talks between Red Bull and Porsche broke down, Honda showed interest in returning to F1 again. With Honda, the Milton Keynes-based team had a great relationship. Most importantly, while Porsche's Modus Operandi was proving to be too intrusive, its relationship with Honda was nothing like that.

For the 2023 F1 season, Honda will once again supply the engines (just like they are doing this season), the only difference being the visibility of the Japanese brand that was missing this season.

For the 2026 F1 season, Red Bull has already committed to developing its own power unit. The team is, however, open to partnerships and Honda is the frontrunner for the partnership. The expertise and thought leadership displayed by the Japanese squad makes it a more obvious choice. The new power unit for the 2026 F1 regulations is supposed to have almost 50% dependence on hybrid power.

According to reports, Red Bull might be leaning on Honda's expertise for the Hybrid part of the new power unit. Having said that, it's hard to jump to conclusions that a Red Bull-Honda partnership for the 2026 F1 season is imminent. There are other contenders in play as well, including new manufacturers like Hyundai and Ford that have expressed interest.

With Honda's propensity to leave the sport on short notice, Red Bull could need a few assurances from the Japanese outfit. For the 2023 F1 season, however, the status quo remains the same as this season. The power units continue to come from Honda. The only difference is the return of the 'Honda' logo on the cars.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has termed Red Bull's attempt at its own PU a bold strategy. The fact that the Milton Keynes-based squad would go independent was revealed when the talks with Porsche failed. At that point, the Mercedes boss had said to Motorsport.com:

"I think it's a very bold strategy. Being self-sufficient is clearly a scenario that Red Bull have always wanted to achieve, have their own power unit, not be dependent of any other OEM. And here we go. That's the strategy they have deployed. And we shall see what happens in '26/'27/'28. Clearly, this is setting a direction, and I'm not involved in the detail whether Porsche joins in badging the engine or if Honda is going to badge the engine."

He further added:

"It's a shame obviously, from me as a Mercedes person, it's a shame that we can't fight with Porsche. Porsche/Red Bull would have been a mega entry. A great brand. And that didn't work out for reasons that are unknown to me. It would have been great for F1 and all of us overall if they would have joined forces for the attractiveness of the sport."

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Who will power the other F1 teams in 2026?

Keeping some teams (Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Alpine) aside, the situation appears to be fluid for the other outfits. Alfa Romeo Sauber will see the Alfa Romeo partnership ending at the end of the 2023 F1 season. From that point onwards, Audi is going to take over and will power the team as well in the 2026 F1 season.

Haas and its close relationship with Ferrari will continue to dictate the team getting powered by the Italian squad. Williams has a power unit contract with Mercedes until the end of the 2025 F1 season. In all likelihood, with the kind of relationship the team has had with the German outfit, this partnership might continue.

AlphaTauri will continue to have an RBPT unit at the back of the car from the 2026 F1 season onwards. There were even rumors of Honda aiming to take over the operations of the Faenza-based team, but they seem to lack any sort of credibility.

This leaves us with McLaren and Aston Martin. While McLaren's contract ends with Mercedes by the end of the 2024 F1 season, there is a lack of clarity over the duration of the Aston Martin-Mercedes partnership.

Aston Martin, with Lawrence Stroll bringing in huge investment, is a question mark because the team was even in talks with Audi for a buyout. The team's future is rather volatile and it will be worth keeping an eye on.

For McLaren, the situation is somewhat peculiar. The team has always enjoyed a close relationship with Mercedes. However, in the case of RBPT, Ferrari, and now even Renault, the transactions have been less than cordial.

Unless McLaren plans to work something out with Audi, extending a Mercedes partnership seems to be the likeliest of outcomes.

The 2026 F1 season will be the start of a new era where as many as 5 power unit suppliers will be jostling it out for top honors.