The official presentation of the RB18 yesterday was as disappointing as expected. Two weeks before the tests in Barcelona and five before the start of the World Championship in Bahrain, Red Bull hid the most important details of the car with which Max Verstappen intends to defend his title and preferred to show a simple standard model, painted purple and red, with the usual logos of the sponsors.
"In the first race, the car will not look much like what we have shown," admitted Christian Horner., boss of the Austrian team. "The car will be constantly evolving throughout the season and we will probably never repeat the same set-up," added the Briton. Beneath his sly smile were some of the achievements Red Bull had made in recent weeks. Those who can decide their hegemony in F1.
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Horner's most obvious success has been sealed thanks to an exorbitant contract that makes Oracle the main sponsor of his team. As reported yesterday by the AP agency, the technological giant will pay 500 million dollars over the next five seasons, in what seems like one of the most lucrative commercial alliances in world sport.
However, those who yesterday wanted to understand the most relevant detail had to sharpen their eyes much more. Because it was a couple of small stickers located on the rear of the vehicle.
The key was summed up in just three letters: HRC, an acronym for Honda Racing Corporation. The Japanese manufacturer, key to the successes of the past championship, will continue as head of Red Bull's engine program until 2025, contrary to its previous plans.
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So to understand the consequences of this change of course it is necessary to establish a precise chronology. And evaluate, in view of the past, the keys that will decide its future.
A PROJECT OF 400 MILLION
The initial date dates back to October 2020, when Honda announced that it would leave F1 at the conclusion of the 2021 World Cup. At that time, it considered that its investment in the Great Circus was no longer worth it, not even under the hood of the only capable car to face Lewis Hamilton. So just four months later, in February 2021, Horner announced the creation of Red Bull Powertrains (RBP), the factory where he would develop his own engines.
As he himself confessed, it was the largest investment since the birth of the team, back in 2004. Nothing less than 400 million euros. So to get the project off the ground, Red Bull went on the hunt for the most prestigious engineers, unleashing a war with Mercedes. Toto Wolff, head of the Silver Arrows, admitted to losing 15 of his best brains, including his great guru, Ben Hodgkinson.
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In this way, Red Bull would limit itself to assembling the Japanese power units in 2022, waiting for its brand new division to reach full capacity throughout 2023, 2024 and 2025. However, the impeccable performance of the RA621H engine, with the one that Verstappen conquered the title, made Honda back down, aware that he had hit the key and that the freeze on engine development, imposed by the FIA until 2025, will help his hegemony even more. With this maneuver, one might think: why then the RBP 400 million?
Very easy. Red Bull can afford to wait until the new engine regulations, in 2026, to play both sides. Either bet on your own division or seek an agreement with Audi or Porsche. The two German stars will have the benefits granted by the FIA to new manufacturers. That is, your demands will be listened to very carefully. And this strategy, used by Mercedes since 2007, resulted in the greatest hegemony in the history of F1.
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