Horner chimes in on reports of potential Honda F1 comeback

Christian Horner says Red Bull's F1 engineering partnership with Honda will follow its course until the end of 2025, but there are no plans so far for the two companies to extend their collaboration beyond that term.

Recent reports have alleged that Honda could return to F1 has an official power unit supplier at the inception of the sport's new engine regulations in 2026.

However, Red Bull Racing is expected to partner with Porsche from 2026, with the German manufacturer joining the grid as an engine supplier as part of the VW Group's commitment to Formula 1 that should also include its Audi affiliate, with the latter linking up with Sauber.

Red Bull has invested heavily in its own engine department at Milton Keynes, Red Bull Powertrains, which will soon have the capacity to develop its own engine.

But the entity could also become a foothold in Britain for Porsche should Red Bull partner with the latter.

"We opened the Red Bull powertrain building earlier this week, so some of the staff moved into the building," revealed Horner at Silverstone last weekend.

"It is a facility that should hopefully enable us to produce really competitive engines, starting from 2026."

• Read also: White smoke on the horizon for Porsche and Audi

However, a prospective Red Bull-Porsche engine deal may not extend to AlphaTauri, which would leave the Faenza-based outfit free to contract with another engine supplier, which many believe could be Honda.

But so far, Horner has given no indication that such a scenario is in the works.

"We have an engineering partnership, an agreement with Honda to supply the current engines under the current agreement to the end of the 2025 set of regulations but there's certainly been no discussions with us about that," Horner made clear.

"And of course, you know, there's discussions of Porsche now looking at entering the sport, which I think is really exciting for Formula 1 to have brands like that want to come in.

"But again, that is subject to what are the regulations going to be and what is the treatment of a newcomer going to be, some of those aspects."

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