After Honda’s initial departure in 2021, Red Bull took a bold step and started their own powertrain department. While this was a good step forward for the Austrian team, the reality of competing with established engine providers is very different. Reports suggest that Red Bull’s project is not going according to plan and Christian Horner chimed in to reveal the truth behind the same.
One of the main reasons why other teams will have an advantage over Red Bull in the powertrain department is the Milton-Keynes-based outfit’s inexperience. As per GP Blog, Horner said,
“We’re on a steep learning curve, where we’ve got 70 years of disadvantage to Ferrari.”
Horner’s comments, however, don’t point towards Red Bull bailing out of this venture. Other teams have years of headstart in terms of Research and Development, but with a strong team at their disposal, Horner is confident that they’ll achieve their goals. “We’ve got a great group of people. We’ve got, we’re applying the same philosophy as we have on the chassis to the engine. It’s a different challenge with the engine.”
Horner used Ferrari as an example, because the prancing horse has been making F1 engines since the 1950s. They have immense experience in dealing with the complexities surrounding the development of a power unit and have coped up with several changes to the regulations. Their advancement in the modern sport speaks volumes too. Per reports, they already have an engine for 2026 ready for testing.
Red Bull knows how good Ferrari is at making engines, having previously used their power units in 2006. Even their sister team (known as Toro Rosso back in the day) used Ferrari engines. Today, the Italian giants provide for themselves, Haas and Sauber.
Is Red Bull ready for the big switch?
Since 2019, Red Bull has been using Honda manufactured power units and it has worked wonders for them. Led by Max Verstappen, the team won the driver’s championship in 2021, followed by both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 2022 and 2023.
When Honda left F1 in 2021, Red Bull was in the dark but the Japanese manufacturers helped steer them into their new era. Initially, they did so unofficially, but they reversed their decision and made an official return to the sport in the coming months.
Red Bull now has an agreement to use Honda-powered engines until 2025. They will also help Red Bull set up their power-trains department simultaneously. Red Bull is confident that it can make this big switch work, especially because it has Ford in its corner form 2026 onwards.
