Horner reveals Red Bull F1 engine naming plan after Honda takeover

The power units in the back of Red Bull's Formula 1 cars will be branded as a “Red Bull engine” following its takeover of Honda’s technology in 2022.

On Monday, Red Bull announced that it has agreed a deal to take over Honda’s power unit intellectual property after the Japanese manufacturer leaves F1 at the end of the year until the next-generation of engines are introduced in 2025.

Speaking about the deal, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that the 2022 power unit will be run under the team’s Red Bull moniker.

“As far as badging is concerned, there are no discussions underway regarding that - it will be a Red Bull engine,” said Horner. “So it will be, as Mercedes is a Mercedes, it will be an incorporated part of the car. So it will be a Red Bull.”

Red Bull previously branded its customer Renault power units as ‘TAG Heuer’ ahead of the 2016 season, but Horner said the team currently has no plans to carry out a similar strategy this time around.

“We won’t be beholden upon having a partner, so we’ve got the independence to do it ourselves,” he explained.

“If an exciting partner comes along then, of course, it makes sense to look at it very seriously – whether that be an OEM or another type of partner, a battery manufacturer or whatever. It really depends what the regulations are.”

SEE ALSO: What the Honda F1 engine deal means for Red Bull - and could it go it alone?

A new division - Red Bull Powertrains Limited - will enhance Red Bull’s Milton Keynes facility to run the project using Honda’s engine technology from 2022.

The formation of a new company opens the door for the possibility of Red Bull creating its own hybrid power unit when a new cheaper engine formula is introduced in 2025. Horner indicated such a scenario is something the team is preparing for, saying Red Bull has “taken control of our own destiny”.

“It needs to be a long-term view because obviously investment into the facilities to gear up for this are quite significant,” he said.

“So you’ve got both the short-term scenario of the existing regulations and then of course whatever the new regulations are, we need to be in a position to obviously take that on as well.

“Strategically this is a big commitment by the group, it shows their commitment to F1 as well. To bring it on site, on campus here in Milton Keynes is an enormous undertaking and one which truly integrates the Power Unit into the chassis. I think that we have taken control of our own destiny in that respect, integrating Power Unit with chassis.

"We will have a facility capable of designing and operating the next generation of engines with a facility that will be invested within here."