Red Bull Racing reportedly in talks to buy Honda’s F1 engine rights

Having had their Formula One future thrown into doubt following Honda’s shock announcement earlier in 2020, Red Bull Racing may have found a solution to their engine problems.

Following the announcement that Honda will be leaving Formula One after the 2021 season, many Red Bull fans were concerned that the AM-RBR team would be left without an engine.

Since Honda supplies the engines for the Aston Martin-Red Bull Racing team, there was intense speculation about what the team’s next move would be. Since their previous engine partners Renault had been cast aside for the Honda deal, it was unlikely they’d go back to them.

Similarly, there is almost no chance that the Red Bull team would strike a deal with Ferrari or Mercedes-AMG, leaving their future in jeopardy.

Red Bull Racing F1 Engine Rumor

Now, a new rumor has surfaced thanks to Twitter user MissedApexF1. This is the very same account that ‘understood’ Red Bull would be making the shift to Honda engines before it was announced. While that does not make it concrete proof, it is a solid track record to back up these rumors.

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In the Tweet by MissedApexF1, the account states that Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and team advisor Helmut Marko are looking to buy the IP (intellectual property rights) to Honda’s racing engines. This would enable them to run a continuation program and secure the engines for the 2022 season onward.

The pair are apparently in Austria to meet with Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of Red Bull, to discuss financing options for the deal.

Red Bull Racing to work with Mugen?

Allegedly, there is talk of the engine being badged as “Mugen” should the deal go through. Mugen is the tuning arm of Honda, and long-time F1 fans will remember that Mugen-Honda supplied engines to the Jordan team in 1998 following Honda’s first withdrawal from the series.

Mugen is also based in Milton Keynes along with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, which means that the two teams would be able to easily work together on the project.

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According to The Race, Honda has said they are “willing to consider it [the deal], as it wishes to make its exit as painless as possible.”

While no formal request or application has been submitted at the time of writing, if the rumor is true, it may be only a matter of time.