At the start of the season, few would have bet even a penny on Red Bull Powertrains, which has introduced the first Formula 1 power unit in its history in 2026. Developed in collaboration with Ford, the Red Bull power unit was considered a far less mature project than those of its rivals and was expected to start at a disadvantage compared with Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda.
Instead, Red Bull has produced one of the biggest surprises of the new regulations. It has not only moved ahead of its former engine supplier, but has also developed an extremely competitive internal combustion engine. According to FIA measurements, Red Bull’s ICE is the most powerful of the current group, a position that has become increasingly visible as the team has also made progress with the car. Those gains proved particularly valuable in Baku, where Red Bull’s major development steps transformed its competitiveness, and again in Malaysia.
Red Bull’s powerful 2026 F1 ICE still lacks consistency
However, even though the FIA considers Red Bull’s combustion engine the strongest currently available, the team in Milton Keynes is still not completely satisfied with what it has achieved.
Red Bull Powertrains technical director Ben Hodgkinson explained the problem in an interview with The Race: “Unfortunately, we are aware that, although we have a very high-performing ICE, we are not able to use its full power consistently. We can extract the maximum only in certain circumstances. In fact, we are in a very good position when we are able to achieve maximum power for a significant number of laps.”
The issue is especially notable because the FIA’s engine assessments have placed Red Bull at the top of the internal-combustion hierarchy. The distinction between outright ICE performance and the complete power unit is important under the current regulations, as explained by the FIA ADUO engine ranking and its comparison with 2026 race performance.
From left to right: Mark Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull owner and son of founder Dietrich Mateschitz; Ben Hodgkinson, technical director of Red Bull Powertrains; and Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal and CEO.
Ben Hodgkinson calls the Red Bull combustion engine a ‘diva’
Red Bull was already aware of the problem during pre-season preparations, and Ben Hodgkinson admitted he was still not satisfied when development had to be frozen. From that point, cooperation between the different departments became increasingly important as the team worked to understand how to make the package more manageable.
“The collaboration between the departments intensified and became very important. Our combustion engine has the character of a diva. The effort we will have to make for the future concerns its driveability,” Ben Hodgkinson said, as reported by Auto Motor und Sport.
The comments underline why Red Bull’s recent performance should not be judged solely through peak engine figures. The team has already shown how much overall competitiveness can change when power-unit performance is combined with stronger chassis development, while Laurent Mekies has also addressed the importance of maintaining Red Bull’s advantage as the current cycle of 2026 upgrades approaches its end.
Why Red Bull’s engine could become a major factor in 2027
According to the FIA measurements, Red Bull has maintained its position as the leader for power generated by the ICE. Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda have all had ADUO development steps available, but so far the Milton Keynes power unit appears to have absorbed the challenge without losing its benchmark status.
Red Bull’s engine therefore cannot be underestimated, either now or heading into next season. With an entire year to assess the changes that can be made over the winter, the team is shaping up as one of the opponents Mercedes may have to fear most in 2027.
The two manufacturers could consequently be heading towards a major battle across every area of Formula 1 engineering. Red Bull has already demonstrated that its first in-house power unit possesses exceptional peak ICE performance; the next challenge is making that performance consistently accessible over a significant number of laps.
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