Red Bull may be taking a “no risk, no fun” approach to its new Formula 1 engine, but admits that the project with Ford is one that cannot fail. The Milton Keynes-based group is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in developing a power unit for the 2026 regulations, after forming a technical alliance with Ford.

While they know they will face a huge challenge competing against other experienced F1 manufacturers such as Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari, the team also understands that how they act will determine whether they win. championship candidate or not. The new Red Bull Powertrains factory at Milton Keynes is now operational and fully staffed, while engine testing work continues, while Ford is providing as much human support as possible. and use its facilities to help speed up progress. But the huge risks were not ignored as Red Bull team director Christian Horner made it clear that the engine had to perform well.

“The scale of the investment is the largest investment Red Bull has ever made in motorsport,” he said. “Together with Ford, we must succeed.
“We cannot let this project fail. I think, strategically, for us, as we’re on our journey as a group and as a team with this alliance, the powertrain change in these regulations is The perfect time to get everything under control with all the benefits that come from having everything on one campus.”

Ford’s evolving role
Although Red Bull’s decision to build its own engines was prompted by current engine manufacturing partner Honda’s initial decision to withdraw from F1, it is clear that Red Bull cannot do it on its own and want to cooperate with a manufacturer. Initially it looked like Porsche, but talks with the German carmaker collapsed at the last minute due to Red Bull management’s fears that they would lose their independence as a team racing. This event opens the door for American giant Ford to sign an agreement, according to which the famous Blue Oval car model will return to the F1 race from early 2026.

Ford’s input on the project has changed over time, and it’s certainly not just Red Bull and its partners who are responsible for specific powertrain components. Instead, as Horner and Ford’s global motor sport director Mark Rushbrook explained, this working relationship is constantly evolving to help them get the best out of each other. “It’s very dynamic, with certain requirements at certain times,” Horner said. Because we were in the construction phase, when we didn’t have enough resources and capacity, it was: ‘Okay, we need simulation engineers, we need electrical engineers.’ “That’s why these guys [Ford], through our motorsports activities and our EV investments, we started there and said, ‘Okay, let’s share with us your experience’.

“Are we looking at the right technologies, benchmarking and onboarding the vendors we are looking to partner with? So there was a big collaboration on that.” From Ford’s perspective, Rushbrook said, there are no red lines about what the company must engage in. “Even in the early discussions, it wasn’t: ‘We want to put X number of people on the site and force them into the program,’” he explains. “It was, let’s figure out where there’s We can contribute and what the benefits will be. Then we are very proactive but reactive as needed to get the right resources in place.” Rushbrook said over time, Ford’s involvement has expanded much further than just including knowledge about electric vehicles and batteries.

“It’s all on the table so we can contribute,” he explains. While our initial focus was on the electrification side, we also helped with turbochargers and gas [dyno] racks. “They weren’t on the original list, but it was a need of the group, where we said we had the resources and facilities that could help, and it quickly became part of the program.” . There are many examples of that.”
For Horner, the way things worked out was exactly what he wanted, rather than the kind of imposed relationship that would have occurred if the Porsche deal had gone through.

“I think the great thing about the partnership from the beginning is that Mark and Jim Farley said: ‘Look, you guys do F1 every day. That is your main job. We will not impose our methods on you. Please let us know, how can we help? Where can we help?’ “It’s hard to say in the journey to 2026, how can we help you achieve that goal in the most competitive way? “It really feels like a collaborative relationship where you don’t put pressure on the engineers, which sometimes happens in these relationships, and which we fear will happen in other relationships. that we are investigating. “This is really a collaboration of, ‘Okay, here are all the resources of Ford Motor Company. How can we help you on this journey?’ And requirements change from week to week, month to month.”

No repeat of 2014
While the competitive picture for the 2026 engine remains unclear, Horner suggests that the start of the next regulatory era will not see an identical start to the original turbo-hybrid era.

Back in 2014, Mercedes fully met the requirements of the engine regulations – and set itself on a path to dominance that would last until the chassis regulations changed in 2022 with the cars New ground effects.
Instead, looking ahead to what F1 can expect from the start of 2026, Horner said: “I don’t believe you will see a repeat of 2014 because the regulations are very tight on parameters and production. maximum output from the ERS system.

“I think combustion still plays an important role. But again, the efficiency levels that you’re talking about from these engines, you’re getting really good percentages. “Packaging is going to be a key area, in terms of how it interacts with aerodynamics, and fuel is probably the biggest difference-maker to your performance at the moment. “Since everything else is defined in one box, it is difficult to see how one can gain a significant advantage or disadvantage. So in theory, if everyone maximized, the difference wouldn’t be that big.” But even if motivation isn’t the deciding factor, in Horner’s view, what his team is doing is by no means unimportant.

“It’s an interesting chapter,” he said. “Of course, there are risks associated with it. To take and execute what we did was crazy in terms of the investment that was made, bringing everyone together, producing our own engines. We couldn’t do it without a like-minded partner. “As Dietrich Mateschitz always tells us, no risk, no fun. When you look at risk versus reward, there’s a lot of risk. As it turns out, it would have been easy to continue with Honda after they changed their mind. “But this determines our destiny and strengthens the long-term future of the team.”