Why Red Bull can’t afford failure with Ford-backed F1 engine plan

Red Bull may be embracing a “no risk, no fun” approach for its new Formula 1 engine, but admits the project with Ford is one that cannot fail.

The Milton Keynes-based team is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in developing a power unit for the 2026 regulations, having formed a technical alliance with Ford.

While it knows it faces a huge challenge in taking on the might of other experienced F1 manufacturers like Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari, it equally understands that how it does will ultimately decide whether it is a championship contender or not.

The new Red Bull Powertrains factory at Milton Keynes is now fully up and running and packed with staff, as dyno work continues, while Ford is offering as much assistance as it can with personnel and use of its own facilities to help fast track progress.

But the high stakes are not being ignored, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner crystal clear that the engine has to deliver.

“The scale of the investment is the biggest single investment that Red Bull have ever made in motorsport,” he said. “Together with Ford, we have to succeed.

“We can’t afford for this project not to succeed. I think, for us, strategically, where we are on our journey as a group and as a team with this alliance, this powertrain change in regulations is the perfect juncture to take everything under control with all the benefits that come from that having everything on the same campus.”

Red Bull Ford Powertrains

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Ford’s evolving role
While Red Bull’s decision to build its own engine was triggered by current engine partner Honda’s original decision to quit F1, it was always clear that it could not do it alone and wanted a tie-up with a manufacturer.

That had originally looked like being Porsche, but talks with the German car maker collapsed at the 11th hour amid concerns from Red Bull management about it losing its independence as a racing team.

It opened the door for American giant Ford to seal a deal, which will see the famous Blue Oval return to an F1 car from the start of 2026.

Ford’s input for the project has evolved over time and is certainly not a case of Red Bull and its partner looking after specific elements of the power unit.

Instead, as Horner and Ford’s global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook have explained, the working relationship is one that constantly evolves to help best allow them to progress together.

Horner said: “It’s very dynamic, with certain requests at certain times. As we’re very much in the building phase, where we didn’t have resource and capacity, it was: ‘OK, we need simulation engineers, we need electrical engineers.’

“That’s where these guys [Ford], through their motorsport activities and through the investment that they’ve made in EV, it was just logical for us to start there and say: ‘okay, share with us your experiences.’

“Are we looking at the right technologies, benchmarking and showcasing the suppliers that we were looking at working with? So, there was a big collaboration on that.”

Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, Mark Rushbrook, Ford and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Rushbrook said that, from Ford’s perspective, there were no red lines in terms of what it had to get involved in.

“Even in the first discussions, it wasn’t a: ‘We want to put X number of people on site and force them into the programme’,” he explained. “It was, let’s figure out where the contribution can be and what the benefit is going to be. Then we’re very dynamic but reacting as needed to have the right resources.”

Over time, Rushbrook said Ford’s involvement has expanded far beyond just bringing onboard its knowledge of electric vehicles and batteries.

He explained: “It was all on the table for where we could contribute. Even though our first focus was focused on the electrification side, we’ve also helped on the turbo and gas stand [dyno].

“They weren’t on the initial list, but that was a need for the team, where we said we’ve got resources and facilities that can help, and it quickly became part of the programme. There’s a lot of examples of that.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

For Horner, the way things have worked out is exactly what he wanted, rather than the imposing type of relationship that would have happened if the Porsche deal went through.

“I think the great thing about the partnership from the outset was that Mark and Jim Farley said: ‘Look, you guys do F1 every day. That’s your bread and butter. We’re not going to impose our methodology on you. You tell us, how can we help? Where can we assist?’

“It was very much an open book to say, on this journey to 2026, how can we help you to get there in the most competitive manner?

“It really has felt like a partnership where you’re not imposing on the engineers, which sometimes happens in these relationships, and what we were fearful of would happen in the other relationship we were looking at.

“This is very much a collaboration of, ‘OK, this is all of the resources of Ford Motor Company. What can we help you with on this journey?’ And the requests vary from week to week, month to month.”

No repeat of 2014
While the competitive picture of the 2026 engines remains unclear, Horner thinks the start of the next regulations era will not see a carbon copy of how the turbo hybrid era first began.

Back in 2014, Mercedes totally nailed what was needed for those engine rules – and set itself on a path to dominance that lasted until the chassis regulations changed in 2022 with the new ground effect cars.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W05, celebrates as he crosses the line

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Instead, looking towards what F1 can expect from the start of 2026, Horner said: “You won’t see, I don’t believe, a repeat of 2014 because the regulations are so prescriptive in terms of the parameters, and the maximum output from the ERS system.

“Combustion will still, I think, play a key role. But again, the amount of efficiency that you’re talking about getting from these engines, you’re getting into really fine percentages.

“Packaging will be a key area, in how it interfaces with the aerodynamics, and fuel is probably your biggest performance differentiator at this point in time.

“Because everything else is so defined into a box, it’s difficult to see how one could get a significant advantage or disadvantage. So theoretically, if everybody sort of maximises, the spread isn’t going to be that great.”

But even without engines being the defining factor, from Horner’s perspective, there is no sense that what is being done by his squad is not critical.

“It’s an exciting chapter,” he said. “Of course, there’s risk associated with it. Taking on and doing what we’ve done is insane in terms of the investment that’s been made, getting the people together, producing our own engine. We couldn’t do it without a like-minded partner.

“As Dietrich Mateschitz always told us, no risk, no fun. When you look at the risk versus reward, there’s an awful lot of risk. As it turned out, it would have been very easy to stay with Honda once they changed their mind.

“But this takes our own destiny into our own hands, and shores up the long-term future of the team.”