Honda had put forward an offer to buy Red Bull Racing in 2026, but it was turned down, reports Auto Motor und Sport.
Overseas media sees Honda regretting its withdrawal from F1. Last Tuesday it was announced that Honda would continue to support Red Bull’s F1 power unit until 2025. Specifically, it is the complete package delivery and maintenance of the F1 power unit.
Honda is also said to be negotiating a title sponsorship of Red Bull Racing until 2025, and there are rumors that it wants to acquire Red Bull Racing in 2026.
The news came from Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt.
However, Red Bull appears to be making a deal with Porsche. The agreement between the two parties is nearly complete, pending final confirmation of the F1 engine regulations for 2026. The vote on this has already been postponed several times and Honda is looking to capitalize on this.
“Honda has made a takeover offer for Red Bull for 2026, but I heard it’s not very attractive,” said Michael Schmidt.
“But now Honda has seen what Porsche plans with Red Bull (Porsche buys 50%).”
“I think some Red Bull believe the Morocco leak was done on purpose.”
Documents leaked last weekend revealing that Porsche will acquire a 50% stake in Red Bull Racing’s F1 operation from 2026. The document should not have been released yet. Red Bull and Porsche will officially announce their partnership when the 2026 F1 power unit regulations are finalized.
With Christian Horner recently revealing that the first steps towards a switch to Porsche have already been made, Red Bull appears to have said ‘no’ to Honda.
Other rumors suggest that Red Bull has offered Honda to work with AlphaTauri, but Honda is not interested in doing so.
Michael Schmidt believes Red Bull has great confidence in its future cooperation with Porsche.
“I know someone who works very well with engine parts. He told me not to underestimate Porsche. They also have a lot of knowledge in the field of combustion engines. We can get a lot of know-how not only in the department but also in the combustion engine,” said Michael Schmidt.
