(Motorsports news) The Milton Keynes-based team, which won the drivers’ and constructors’ championship doubles in 2022 and 2023, has been the dominant team in the current regulations era. For the next rules, though, it is taking a completely different approach because it has promised to build and produce its own power unit. It has made significant investments to launch its new Red Bull Powertrains subsidiary and has launched a significant hiring campaign to make sure it has the workforce required to compete.
Christian Horner, the principal of the Red Bull team, acknowledges the magnitude of the task his team is embarking on for the first time in its existence, but he asserts that it is not something it is scared of. But when asked if there was any fear for what was coming, given the team’s current exceptional success with Honda, Horner responded, “Yeah, but that’s life, isn’t it? Nothing endures eternally. All you have to do is keep changing.
After Honda initially announced that it was going to leave Formula One, Red Bull decided to produce its own engines—a decision that the Japanese company has since reversed. Even though the powertrains project has cost a lot of money, Horner argues that one of the main benefits of building its own engine is that it is not dependent on the output of others to succeed. “We don’t want this season to end at this time,” he stated. However, 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for us, one that will see us seize control of the one remaining variable.
“I don’t think people realize how big of a task we have set for ourselves for 2026. However, the team’s approach to it is exactly the same as ours with the chassis. “It may seem like a long way off, but it will only be two years and roughly 100 weeks before we are pulling into the pits with an engine built by Red Bull in the rear of the vehicle. That’s both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. But things are moving along nicely. We have a fantastic culture and some amazing people participating. That is something that both I and we are looking forward to.
Also read: Is the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas likely to live up to the hype?
