A crisis engul꧟fed Red Bull, after their domination ended and Mercedes took over, about which direction to go under the 2014 engine regulations.

Their suppliers Ren💟ault were almost replaced by Volkswagen (who own Audi) until a deal fell apart due to a scandal.

“🉐It wasn’t obvious, the way out,” team principal Christian Horner told thepodcast about their engine problems during Mercedes’ years on top.

“Everyone got used to winning, and suddenly you’re not winning. And nobody likes thꦯat.

“We lost Vet🐻tel. Even the owners were saying: ‘M🌞aybe we will sell the team, maybe we will sell to Audi’.

“The shareholders, for the first time ever, Dietrich was saying ‘we can’ꦜt do this,🐼 we need an [original equipment manufacturer]’.

“Than💝kfully, Dieselgate came along and it stopped that deal.”

Dieselgate was a scandal surrounding Volkswagen’s emissions in 201♍5 which scuppered any plans they had to ൩enter F1.

“But we came that cꦑlose to being Audi,” Horner remembered.

Eleven years later, Audi will join F1 by buying a stake in Sauber, who will be𓃲come their works entry.

Red Bull missed the chance to work with Audi but changed 🅰their trajectory by finding a ♍different powerhouse to supply their engines.

“Then Honda came alo༒ng. It was a risk but a calculated risk,” Horner said🦩.

“We did a se🧸ason with Toro Rosso first, the engine was getting better and better. 

“The Hon𝔍dꦯa guys had as much invested as we did, for it to work.

“The product wꦆas coming, their heritage in the sport was f♋antastic.

“We decided to go for it. It all came good.

“There was nothing to lose. The engine was no worse th꧑an Renault, and there was a lot more commitment that they were pre🍨pared to make.

“The safe option was to stay with what we🔥 knew, every year the Renault guys promising us better. They’re still in𓆏 the same situation now.

“Whereas Honda backed i⛎t up by investing. They knew, when they got Red Bull as a partner, the expectation was 🍸sky high.”

Red Bull then created their Powertrains power unit manufacturing unit in 2021. They will continue to use Honda-produced engin♉es until 2026.