Mercedes rules out Red Bull power unit deal after Honda F1 exit
Only three power unit suppliers will remain after Honda's departure
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has confirmed there is no chance of a power unit partnership with Red Bull as his organisation has "no capacity".
At the start of next year, Mercedes will supply power units to four teams as McLaren joins Aston Martin, Williams and the factory Mercedes outfit.
The fact Red Bull is Mercedes' chief rival in the championship battle may also have affected Wolff's thinking, but he is confident team advisor Dr Helmut Marko already has a "plan B".
Asked if Mercedes would be willing to supply PUs to Red Bull, Wolff replied: “No, for various reasons, but the main [one] being that we are supplying four teams including us.
“We are almost in a state that we can’t make power units for all of us so there is no capacity but I have no doubt that Helmut will have a plan B and probably doesn’t need to rely on any of the current power unit suppliers.”
Honda's withdrawal from the sport leaves just three manufacturers supplying power units in Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari.
“It’s a shame Honda has decided against Formula 1," added Wolff.
“At the end of the day, each of us needs to provide a return on investment that makes sense so whatever capital you deploy for the investment in Formula 1 needs to guarantee, or needs to return, a sensible marketing value.
"If that is not the case, I can understand if somebody says ‘We’ve tried it and it didn’t function’.”
Before you go...
A second Mercedes F1 team member tests positive for Covid-19
Rosberg "gutted" for Schumacher and Ilott after F1 debut fogged off
Related
More F1 news
Latest F1 news
Recommended by the editors
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen F1 future hangs in the balance as three teams block 2027 rule changes
Monaco Grand Prix
F1 2026 Monaco Grand Prix weather forecast - latest from Monte Carlo
FIA News
FIA president calls for V8 return in huge F1 overhaul
Ferrari F1
Ferrari have chosen their guy for F1 glory and it is not Lewis Hamilton
Races
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2026
-
Grand Prix of China 2026
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2026
-
Grand Prix of Bahrain 2026
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026
-
Miami Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2026
-
Grand Prix De Monaco 2026
-
Gran Premio de Barcelona-Catalunya 2026
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2026
-
Grand Prix of Great Britain 2026
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2026
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2026
-
Dutch Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2026
-
Gran Premio de España 2026
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2026
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2026
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2026
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2026
-
Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2026
-
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2026
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Editorial & corporate information
Avenue HQ
10–12 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 2BH
United Kingdom Regional correspondence
View contact page