Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has spoken about his teams’ 2026 engine plans, and how Formula 1 rivals may be hoping that it goes awfully wrong for the Milton Keynes side.
Since Honda pulled away (temporarily) from supplying engines to F1 teams back in 2021, Red Bull have launched their own RB Powertrains department, manufacturing a championship-winning power unit of their own and are aiming to continue this ever-dominant form under even newer regulations, albeit with a Ford badge.
RBR have adapted very strongly to the current F1 aero regulations that were ushered in for the 2022 season, with the team winning both constructors and drivers championship that year, and very much on course to do the double again in 2023.
When Horner was asked by Autosport about Red Bulls’ success so far with 100 wins in the quickest time, and their ambitions going forward, the Englishman said: “We’re still relatively the new kids on the block. We’re still one of the newer teams in Formula 1, as it were. But you can see the following of the team growing and growing. And only history will dictate what we go on to ultimately achieve and do.”
Not much Red Bull cannot achieve in F1 with their current form
Horner also talked about the 2026 F1 engine regulations, and what that might bring for the team: “We’ve got some exciting chapters coming up, as we become our own power unit manufacturer.
“There’s probably a lot of people that think we’re gonna fall on our face by picking that route. But believe me, there’s a determination within this group to make sure that it succeeds,” warned the 49-year-old RBR team boss.
With the ‘racing beast’ that is 25 year-old Max Verstappen on their side, it seems that there isn’t anything that Red Bull can’t achieve right now, and even a whole new set of regulations seem irrelevant, given the current form they are on. 2026 is a ways away right now though, and we could see a completely different grid and dynamic within the sport by the time the regulations roll around.
Red Bull will have a lot of competition going into that season, with Audi stepping in as a new works team, and more and more teams looking to join, it will be a challenge for the energy drinks team to keep up the domination, and stay ahead of all competition both new and old.
The World Champs now head home to Red Bull Ring, where Verstappen will be going all out to win at the late Dietrich Mateschitz’s race track, to make amends for being beaten by Ferrari at the Austrian Grand Prix last year, and with it, the extra motivation to make it nine wins in a row this season for the Bulls.