Red Bull-Ford’s partnership is accelerating development of its new Formula 1 power unit as the Milton Keynes-based team pushes to close the performance gap to Mercedes, widely seen as the benchmark heading into the new engine regulations.
Following Honda’s official departure, Red Bull took on one of the biggest technical challenges in modern Formula 1: building its own engine operation from scratch. But how far along is the project compared to Mercedes, which many in the paddock view as the reference point for the next generation of power units? Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook recently provided an update on the Red Bull-Ford engine programme, describing the project as being “right in the thick of the fight,” while also keeping expectations realistic.
Building an F1 engine division from scratch and the Mercedes comparison
Creating a fully operational engine department in just 55 weeks was an extraordinary undertaking. Under the leadership of Ben Hodgkinson, Red Bull Ford Powertrains recruited key engineering talent from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, bringing in valuable expertise that has helped accelerate development.
Despite early concerns about the scale of the challenge, initial signs have reportedly been encouraging. Even Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described Red Bull as the “absolute benchmark” — a remark that may have carried some political undertones, but one that still reflects the seriousness and credibility of the work being done.
A deeper Ford partnership with Milton Keynes
At the beginning, the agreement between Red Bull and Ford was expected to focus mainly on the electrical side of the new power unit. However, Mark Rushbrook revealed that Ford’s involvement has expanded significantly into several unexpected areas, including additive manufacturing, turnaround efficiency, and dimensional quality control.
These technical innovations are not expected to remain exclusive to Formula 1, with Ford planning to apply lessons learned from the Red Bull collaboration across its wider global motorsport programmes.
While Max Verstappen has already indicated that both the internal combustion engine and electric energy deployment are progressing well, there is still work to do before Red Bull-Ford can consistently match Mercedes.
According to Mark Rushbrook, one of the biggest remaining challenges is consistency across varying operating conditions. The competitiveness of the Red Bull-Ford power unit still appears to fluctuate significantly depending on environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.
“Current power units are extremely sensitive to context,” Rushbrook explained.
Mercedes, for now, appears to retain a slight edge in managing those variables consistently across different circuits — an area that could prove decisive once the new Formula 1 engine era begins.
In conclusion, the rapid evolution of the Red Bull-Ford engine program showcases an unprecedented manufacturing effort to challenge the established hierarchy of Formula 1 power units. By combining Milton Keynes’ agile racing philosophy with Detroit’s vast industrial expertise, the collaborative project is methodically addressing its environmental sensitivities in a relentless bid to match the gold standard set by Mercedes.
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