Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsHonda

Honda forced to wait on Red Bull engine supply

Honda says discussions are ongoing with Red Bull regarding a potential engine supply deal as it has to wait to see if it is allowed to take on another customer next season.

Red Bull approached Honda regarding a potential power unit supply deal around the Russian Grand Prix weekend having been rejected by both Mercedes and Ferrari when requesting 2016 power units. With Honda saying it was open to such a deal, Bernie Ecclestone claimed McLaren boss Ron Dennis has exercised a veto over the Japanese manufacturer to block it supplying Red Bull.

Honda motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai says talks are ongoing as he remains willing to take on another customer if allowed.

“Obviously we cannot discuss details at this moment,” Arai said. “We have been approached by the team but discussions are ongoing and nothing has been decided. I always say this season: we are always open, so we are on discussions that are ongoing – that’s it.”

F1i understands Honda will have to wait for a final decision from both McLaren and Red Bull, with the latter yet to commit as it tries to keep its options open regarding its 2016 power units.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.