Red Bull declines interest in supplying power units to other teams

Red Bull declines customer interest

Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, confirmed the team is not having "serious conversations" to supply power units to another Formula 1 team. This response follows reports that Aston Martin might seek new suppliers, such as Red Bull or Ford, because its works partnership with Honda feels strained. Red Bull Ford has been mentioned as a serious option. The FIA defines the internal combustion engine as the benchmark after it secured two victories with Max Verstappen this season. Mekies admitted that the engine’s performance sparked interest from many teams, but he noted the team is not ready to supply customers. "Are we having any serious conversations with anyone to supply another team? No. We don’t feel we are ready for that," Mekies said. He added that Red Bull building its own unit focuses on extracting a competitive advantage through engine and chassis integration. Nobody at Red Bull Powertrains believes the engine is finished. Mekies noted that while he finds the attention amusing, the team remains focused on its own development. He added that there are a thousand driveability considerations that the team knows it can do better.

Aston Martin stays with Honda

Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack addressed rumors of a potential Red Bull Powertrains deal for 2028 by reaffirming the team’s commitment to Honda. Krack noted that Honda completed its 500th race in Austin, and he expects the teams to remain together until they win a race. This reassurance follows a season where Honda struggled to match rivals, including an engine issue in Austin that forced Lance Stroll to start from the pit lane after his unit required replacement this weekend. Honda has suffered multiple retirements this year. British media suggested Honda might end its project, which would force Aston Martin to look for a different supplier.

The current Aston Martin power unit faces several technical hurdles. The team works to resolve vibration issues in the AMR26 chassis, turbo lag, and drivability concerns. Adrian Newey noted that Honda currently lags behind the development level seen when Red Bull first picked up Honda in 2019. However, Newey expressed confidence that the company will accelerate and understand the specific requirements of these power unit regulations. The team’s struggle with the engine has been evident throughout the 2026 season as they seek to improve the AMR26 chassis.

Honda plans 2027 upgrades

Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara announced a development roadmap to catch the top competitors through two major upgrade phases in 2027. Honda, along with Ferrari and Audi, holds two ADUO tokens to aid these improvements. Orihara expects the first step to arrive at the start of the 2027 season, with a second "big step" scheduled for the middle of the season around round eight. "Our target is to bring some steps for round one, but still, at round one we have said we wouldn’t be top competitor, so we need one more step," Orihara said. He explained that the team will target another improvement around the eighth round, which falls in Monaco.

Combustion remains the primary weakness for the Japanese manufacturer. As the FIA moves toward a 60-40 power ratio favoring the V6 combustion engine in 2027 and 2028, Honda must focus on engine performance. Orihara confirmed that the team works hard to improve combustion because performance becomes more important next year compared to this year. The manufacturer aims to minimize the current four per cent deficit relative to the Red Bull Powertrains benchmark. This development path aims to correct the performance gaps seen in the 2026 regulation set. Honda’s chief engineer believes these steps will close the gap to the leaders.