It’s official, Red Bull will switch from Renault to Honda engines from 2019 the team announced on Tuesday.
Late on Monday, speculation in French media began that the big decision had been made and it was confirmed with a two-year deal between the Milton Keynes outfit and the Japanese manufacturer that was dumped by McLaren just nine months ago.
The switch ends a decade-long partnership between Red Bull and Renault which saw them win four world titles together between 2010 and 2013, but after falling behind Mercedes and Ferrari when the current hybrid era began in 2014, relations have often been strained and at the first reasonable opportunity, the Anglo-Austrian team has jumped.
“This multi-year agreement with Honda signals the start of an exciting new phase in Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s efforts to compete not just for Grand Prix wins but for what is always our goal: championship titles,” team boss Christian Horner said confirming the switch.
“We have always taken decisions such as this dispassionately and with only one criteria in mind: do we believe the outcome will allow us to compete at a higher level?
“After careful consideration and evaluation, we are certain this partnership with Honda is the right direction for the team.”
Honda has made considerable progress since moving from McLaren the junior team Toro Rosso at the start of 2018 and an upgrade brought in Canada saw another strong step forward in performance while reliability has also been much, much better.
“We have been impressed by Honda’s commitment to F1, by the rapid steps they have made in recent times with our sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and by the scope of their ambition, which matches our own,” Horner added.
“We look forward to working with Honda in the coming years and to racing together in pursuit of F1’s biggest prizes.”
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The Briton was also complimentary of their now out-going partner for what they had done for the team during their lengthy time together.
“We would like to thank Renault for the past 12 years, a period during which we experienced some incredible moments together,” he reflected.
“We have sometimes had our differences but Renault has always worked tirelessly and to the best of its ability to provide us with a competitive power unit.”
Given that Honda is still considered the weakest of the four engine suppliers, many will wonder if this is the right move for Red Bull, none more so than Daniel Ricciardo who is out of contract at the end of the year.