Honda will feature its logo on the AlphaTauri AT03 and Red Bull RB18 from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards as they expand their partnership with their former F1 engine customers.
Although the Japanese marque officially left F1 at the end of 2021 after powering Max Verstappen to his first title with Red Bull, Honda still has a presence in the sport. In August they extended their support contract with Red Bull Powertrains and they did acknowledged interest in the new 2026 energy block regulations.
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And starting with this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix and continuing until at least the end of the season, the Honda logo will return to the cars of both AlphaTauri and Red Bull. In addition, Singapore Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez will become an ambassador for the Suzuka-based Honda Racing School, which trains 15-21 year olds.
“Honda has invested significantly in hybrid technology over the course of our partnership,” began Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “This ensured the supply of competitive power to both teams, for which we are very grateful.
“Our overall goal is to continue to deliver dominant engines and achieve as much success as possible over the next three years. To mark this, we look forward to welcoming the Honda logo back onto the car from Suzuka onwards.”
Red Bull Head of Motorsport Dr. Helmut Marko added: “Oracle Red Bull Racing and Honda Racing Corporation have achieved great success in Formula 1 together. With these new agreements, we are proud to continue to grow further with technical support from HRC until the introduction of the next generation of engines in 2026.
“We are confident that this relationship with HRC will create more success for us over the next three seasons and we thank them for their continued support.”
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Honda Racing President Koji Watanabe said: “Through the technical support provided by HRC, Honda will fully support the challenges these machines take on to become the ‘fastest in the world’.
“We are very pleased that these machines will be featured at the F1 Grand Prix of Japan, where Honda serves as title sponsor.”