Currently, in Formula One, the team with the strongest engine is Red Bull. And perhaps even after 2026’s new engine era, the team will continue making the most competitive PUs.
Recently, after Honda extended their engine service deal with Red Bull for a year, the racing team announced launching their own Powertrains. Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has announced the team’s in-house engine-making at the Milton factory. This came after Honda revealed their plan to introduce itself individually in the 2026 engine development.
Red Bull’s principal, Christian Horner, has shown his interest several times in being a part of the marketing world. And for the engine partner who will work as a marketing face, Red Bull has Ford associated with them. The team is developing engines according to the 2026 F1 new power unit regulations with MGU-H. The kinetic recovery system will be on focus while building strong powertrains.
There Are Risks, But It’s Not A Problem With A Highly Experienced Team.
So far, the preparations are going on smoothly. Red Bull has acquired a brilliant group of engineers in the engine division. The strategic partnership contract with Ford will help the team attain battery technology and staff. However, this certainly does not mean that the team is free from any kind of risk. Running their own power trains means Red Bull is taking a “certain risk” as it makes them independent of their well-based previous engine manufacturer, Honda.
The reigning champion team will be risking the team’s performance as, for the first time, they will be running on new engines built by themselves. However, according to Helmut Marko, there is no need to worry. Doing anything for the time comes up with huge risks. But, if you do it perfectly, with a team of experienced people, there is a huge chance of getting success in the first take.
Recently, Marko appeared on the YouTube channel Formel1.de. There he claimed that Red Bull is well aware of the fact that “this engine commitment brings a certain risk.” But this is the reason why the team relied upon a lot of people with brilliance. And apart from this, the figures coming from the combustion engine are giving relief to Helmut. It is positive, he said. And therefore, He believes that there is no disadvantage here. And “we will also be reliable,” he said.
Red Bull Has Already Developed More Than One Engines Of Their Own
Speaking of Ford, Helmut Marko suggested that the Austrian Racing team now has a partner in the battery sector too. And right now, in F1, all the car manufacturers have immense battery technology development. Having Ford’s expertise in the turbo department is an advantage. Whatever is important for Red Bull in terms of becoming competitive in the first take itself, it has.
Helmut Marko has given a chequered flag to how the development of engines is going on. Everything is on schedule, six test benches have been progressing on the Milton Red Bull campus. The work is in progress since the middle of the last year. And the very good news is that more than one of the engines is ready. “We can see improvements clearly, it is just the way an engine is developed,” said Helmut.
