Talks in Tokyo with Dr Helmut Marko, and a deal to return clear ‘Honda’ branding to the car doesn’t mean the Japanese carmaker will rekindle its full works backing of Red Bull in Formula 1. But with Red Bull’s talks with Porsche about 2026 recently collapsing, it is clear that Honda is now back in the frame. Proper Honda logos are back on the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri cars, and Marko admits he was recently in Tokyo for renewed talks with Honda executives. But Watanabe insists none of that means the Red Bull-Honda pairing will be back to full works status in 2026 and beyond. So when asked directly if the closer ties between Red Bull and Honda now means the full works partnership will be back on from 2026, Watanabe said: “Zero.

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