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What next for Red Bull after Honda's shock Formula 1 exit?

In its second year as Red Bull's power unit partner, Honda announced on Friday that it would be withdrawing from Formula 1 at the end of 2021. Red Bull has to find a new supplier - and, furthermore, options are somewhat limited

Luke Smith Oct 2, 2020, 3:47 PM

Honda's latest spell in Formula 1 will come to an end in 2021 after the Japanese manufacturer made a shock announcement that will have wide-reaching ramifications.

Not only does it put F1 back down to three power unit manufacturers, a level it has not been at since the start of the V6 hybrid power unit era in 2014, but it also leaves Red Bull facing big challenges to overcome in the short-term future.

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Author Luke Smith

Luke Smith is Autosport’s Formula 1 reporter. Luke has been working in F1 as a journalist since 2013, initially alongside a History degree at University College London. Luke served as the lead F1 writer at American broadcaster NBC Sports from 2013-17 before spending two years as the F1 Editor for Crash.net. Luke joined Autosport for the 2020 season.

Luke is also a contributor to The New York Times for its F1 special reports, and has previously worked with Al Jazeera and CNBC, as well as hosting FIA press conferences. Outside of F1, Luke is a fan of sports and music, with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and has being bitten by the running bug in recent years. He also runs a surprisingly popular blog reviewing the often-terrible media centre coffee from his F1 travels.