Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted that the Milton Keynes-based team will forever be “selective” about what companies they partner with, as a result of a company needing to be the “right fit” for the Austrians.
Since joining Formula 1 in 2005, Red Bull have also been incredibly careful with who they partner with, with the Constructors’ Champions only wanting to enter partnerships with companies that’ll “complement the Red Bull brand”.
Over recent years, Honda have done just that, with the Japanese manufacturer having supplied the team with power units since 2019.
The two companies have worked incredibly closely together and even remained connected when Honda departed the sport at the end of 2021.
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When Honda briefly left the sport, they continued to give Red Bull technical support, marking how much the two brands respect one another.
Honda’s return to the sport at the Japanese Grand Prix, though, marked the reignition of a tight collaboration, one that’ll continue until the end of 2025.
Their partnership will end prior to 2026 due to both Red Bull and Honda being engine suppliers for the new engine regulations, something which will result in the Austrians having to open up to new partnerships.
The likes of Ford have been linked to Red Bull for 2026, whilst Porsche won’t get anywhere near the Austrians following the collapse of their talks.
Porsche were set to supply Red Bull power units for the new engine regulations; however, the Germans ultimately demanded too much from the Austrians.
With all of that in mind, Red Bull will “always” be careful about who they partner with, according to Horner.
“We’re always going to be selective about the partners that we’re going to want to work with,” Horner told RacingNews365.com.
“I think that there’s a commitment from the group with the engine up to 2030. We’ve made that commitment, and anybody that we work with will need to be there on merit and because it’s the right fit, both technically and commercially.”
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When considering an offer from a company to collaborate, Horner has revealed the criteria that they have to meet in order for a deal to be possible, with the Brit admitting that any interested company must be able to “bring something to the party”.
“I think it’s got to be able to bring something to the party,” Horner added.
“It’s got to complement the Red Bull brand. It’s got to complement the Powertrains business and I think that they’re the prerequisite to any potential partnership.”