Red Bull confirm Honda switch for 2019

It is a huge gamble for Red Bull to race with the Japanese brand next season. Three torrid years with McLaren, which were laboured with unreliability and a considerable lack of power, prompted the Woking outfit to dump them in favour of Renault, while Honda have struggled yet again with reliability in this year's Toro Rosso - Red Bull's sister squad.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner though believes the deal will bring about a return to form for Honda, and will deliver championships for the team.

He said: "This multi-year agreement with Honda signals the start of an exciting new phase in Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s efforts to compete not just for Grand Prix wins but for what is always our goal – championship titles.

“We have always taken decisions such as this dispassionately and with only one criteria in mind – do we believe the outcome will allow us to compete at a higher level. After careful consideration and evaluation we are certain this partnership with Honda is the right direction for the team.

“We have been impressed by Honda’s commitment to F1, by the rapid steps they have made in recent times with our sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and by the scope of their ambition, which matches our own. We look forward to working with Honda in the coming years and to racing together in pursuit of F1’s biggest prizes.”

The news comes just a few days before current engine supplier Renault's home race, the French Grand Prix, and ends a 12-year partnership between the two which saw Red Bull win every title going between 201- and 2013.

Horner added: "We would like to thank Renault for the past 12 years, a period during which we experienced some incredible moments together. We have sometimes had our differences but Renault has always worked tirelessly and to the best of its ability to provide us with a competitive power unit."