Idag stod det så klart hur det blir med en av årets stora frågetecken inför kommande säsong – vilken motor som kommer att sitta i Red Bull Racing bilen fram till 2021.
Relationen mellan Red Bull och Renault har varit minst sagt ansträngd sedan de senast vann mästerskapet ihop och sporten bytte till nuvarande hybrid motorer. Det gick så pass långt att stallet officiellt kör Tag Heur motorer numera, men det är bara namnet som ändrats på etiketten.
“Honda’s alignment with both Red Bull Formula 1 teams provides enormous potential. Honda will have access to a wealth of data from both outfits, with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing leading the way, and the opportunities for faster, more effective and more competitive development are doubled.” – Christian Horner
Till den här säsongen så bytte McLaren och Toro Rosso motorer med varandra, McLaren fick Renault och STR de inte så lyckade Honda motorerna. Ett byte som såklart satta igång diskussioner direkt om det var Red Bull som ville testa motorerna i sitt mindre stall innan de själva kunde tänkas byta.
Och Honda har minst sagt levererat, tillsammans med ett stall som varit mer förändringsbenägna än vad McLaren var under deras år ihop har det japanska företaget kunnat utveckla motorn i rask takt denna säsong. Tillräckligt för att Red Bull nu vågat ta beslutet att överge Renault och satsa på Honda kraft de sista två säsongerna innan nya stora reglementsändringar.
Från Pressmeddelandet:
Christian Horner – Stallchef Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
“This multi-year agreement with Honda signals the start of an exciting new phase in Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s efforts to compete not just for grand prix wins but for what is always our goal – championship titles. ”
“We have always taken decisions such as this dispassionately and with only one criteria in mind – do we believe the outcome will allow us to compete at a higher level. After careful consideration and evaluation we are certain this partnership with Honda is the right direction for the Team.”
“We have been impressed by Honda’s commitment to F1, by the rapid steps they have made in recent times with our sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and by the scope of their ambition, which matches our own. We look forward to working with Honda in the coming years and to racing together in pursuit of F1’s biggest prizes.”
Takahiro Hachigo – President & Representativ direktör för Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
“Having established a good relationship with Scuderia Toro Rosso, we have decided to extend our Formula 1 involvement to the other team in the Red Bull family, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, as from the 2019 season. Having two teams means we can access twice as much data as previously. We believe that working with both Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing will allow us to get closer to our goal of winning races and championships, building two strong partnerships. Discussions proceeded very quickly, thanks to Red Bull’s open and respectful attitude towards Honda, leading to a deal that is fair and equitable for all parties.”