One-year extensions for Red Bull and Toro Rosso into F1's rules reset of 2021 for Honda
Wednesday 27 November 2019 12:09, UK
Honda will continue to supply engines into Formula 1's new era of 2021 after extending their deals with Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
Fresh from the manufacturer's third win of the season with Red Bull in Brazil - a race in which Toro Rosso also finished second - the Japanese manufacturer has confirmed one-year extensions with both teams.
Honda had been known to be mulling the company's F1 future in recent months ahead of the sport's planned reset in 2021, when new sporting and technical regulations are being introduced to reduce costs and make the sport more competitive.
The existing V6 turbo engines are staying in place, however.
Honda's first season with Red Bull has proved a success with the partnership winning races in Austria, Germany and Brazil and making strides in engine strength and reliability relative to Ferrari and Mercedes.
The results are a far cry from Honda's ill-fated reunion with McLaren in 2015-2017.
Returning to F1 after six seasons away, the McLaren-Honda partnership failed to succeed with engines initially proving unreliable.
A split two years ago saw Honda initially team up with Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team, to stabilise their F1 project before adding the senior outfit to their supply chain this year in effective works status.
The Brazilian GP was the first time Honda-engined cars had finished in first and second places of a race since 1991.
The last race of the 2019 F1 season takes place in Abu Dhabi this weekend, and will be exclusively live on Sky Sports F1.
