“Our biggest rival in the hybrid era” – Red Bull Powertrains has confirmed the arrival of Mercedes Head of Engineering Ben Hodgkinson as Technical Director.
In a massive statement of ambition, Red Bull has confirmed that Mercedes Head of Engineering Ben Hodgkinson has left the German giants to join their Powertrains unit.
As part of the behind-the-scenes arrivals, Hodgkinson has become the first Technical Director of Red Bull Powertrains, tasked with developing engines for Red Bull and AlphaTauri in the post-Honda era.
RB16B, you are cleared for take off 🚀😲 #GivesYouWings pic.twitter.com/bvHKin0WCU
— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) April 23, 2021
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, welcomed the move, and its significance on their mission to dislodge Mercedes as the champions of the sport.
“We are delighted to welcome Ben to Red Bull Powertrains as Technical Director.
“He comes to this hugely exciting project as a proven race winner and as an innovator capable of leading a like-minded team of highly skilled engineers.
“When Red Bull announced the creation of Red Bull Powertrains it was also announcing a new phase of the company’s ambition in Formula One – to bring every aspect of car design in-house and to put our destiny in our own hands.
“The ultimate expression of that is the development of a Red Bull power unit to meet the next generation of Formula One engine regulations. Ben’s appointment signals our long-term intent and we will support him and his team with every available resource required in order to succeed.”
Ben Hodgkinson’s statement on joining Red Bull Powertrains as Technical Director
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Red Bull Powertrains as Technical Director.
“It was not easy to make the decision to leave HPP after almost 20 years but the opportunity to take on such a far-reaching and important project is a great honor.
“Red Bull is a serious player in Formula One and has been our biggest rival in the hybrid era, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in this new phase of the company’s journey.”
Also read “They will win the championship”– Mercedes engineering director is serious about Red Bull threat
