Austrian help for Red Bull Racing with the acquisition of Honda engines?

Since Honda announced their departure from Formula 1, the rumor mill has been running at full speed. Which engines will be powering the Red Bull from 2022 onwards? Back to Renault, their own engine or something else?

Honda and Red Bull Racing began their partnership in 2019, after Toro Rosso and Honda had a good partnership in 2018. Despite victories in 2019 and 2020 for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri, it hasn't been enough for Honda to stay in the sport. At the end of 2021, the plug will be pulled on the F1 project.

What should Red Bull do now?

Red Bull have a problem, however, because which engine is going to power their car going forward. The return to Renault power seems the most obvious choice as it stands. Ferrari and Mercedes have many more customers and will not jumping at the opportunity to supply a competitor. Renault cannot do otherwise, because the rules state that the supplier must supply an engine with the fewest customers.

However, according to Motorsport.it, there are more options. Red Bull Racing itself would like to take over Honda's project. The engine is not allowed to be further developed, so Red Bull could take over. However, it costs a lot of money and the question is whether this will be recovered in the short term?

Aid from Austria

There is also talk of AVL. The company from Austria that supplies test benches for Formula 1 engines has been mentioned more and more lately as a possible candidate to take on that role in order to manage the Honda team, but Motorsport.it is reporting that there are also many sources against this rumor.

The latter is an unlikely option, as the chances of a new engine supplier stepping in at the moment are virtually nil. Honda's project has shown how much it costs to become competitive and not yet be able to compete for the title. Rumors about Audi or another name within the Volkswagen group do not see the Italian medium as a realistic option.