An article over at Motorsport says that Honda’s former Formula 1 managing director, Masashi Yamamoto, will leave Honda to form his own consultancy and work directly with Red Bull on their powertrain division.
This is interesting news because from the outside looking in, there is little doubt that not making their own engine is a cost savings to Red Bull but also a liability as we saw a few years ago when relations with Renault collapsed. There certainly can be no doubt that Red Bull do not want to get in that position again.
On the other side of this topic, there are many rumors that perhaps VW may enter the series in 2025 and that perhaps Red Bull has spoken to them about an engine supply program. Now there are a lot of hunches, innuendos and guesses as to what that would look like or even if it is true but in the meantime, it does seem Red Bull are stacking their engine program with several former Honda personnel in order to get this engine through to the 2024 season.
“We have established a new company,” Yamamoto told Motorsport.com’s Japanese edition in an exclusive interview. “We want to do something that makes people happy, and if we win in F1, then fans will be happy with that.
“We’ve signed a contract with the company at Red Bull Powertrains. The company has me, at the request of Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, to support them.
“It’s a contract between companies, so it’s difficult to speak about details, but as one of the members of Red Bull Powertrains, I will undertake work that will help them.”
With the engines being frozen in development at the beginning of this season, it is critical to get any updates done this winter so the team can hit the ground with a very competitive lump and when it is homologated from this season on, they have a good package that they can maintain until the new engine formula arrives.
My hunch would be that Red Bull are laser focused on getting the right people from Honda to not only improve the engine for the 2022 season but also maintaining it for the next three years.
Who first coined the term “lump” for F1 engines?
I don’t remember. I certainly came from the F1 paddock and engineers but I don’t know who called it that first. I am sure it’s a quite old term though.
Can’t say that comes as much of a surprise that RBR are getting staff from Honda to work on their engines.
No, it’s a very prudent move. I just wonder if this “get us to 2025” plan will evolve or will they work with another manufacturer in 2025?
VW!!! AUDI!!!!!!!!!!
I think they are looking well past 2025. i cant see them partnering with “The Auto Union”, i do however see them investing heavily over the next 3 years into Red Bull Powertrains and having there own from 2026.
Then they branch out into road going cars as a manufacturer.