Ford's Rushbrook: You never hit everything 100%

From 2026 onwards, Red Bull Racing will stop using Honda power units as the Japanese manufacturers will become a works partner of Aston Martin.

Red Bull Racing will be powered by power units built in-house by Red Bull Powertrains in collaboration with Ford, which is a monumental challenge for the Milton Keynes squad as they try to compete with power unit manufacturers having years of experience in Formula 1.

Rushbrook was asked whether Red Bull Powertrains and Ford are hitting the milestones they have set. He said: "Yes, but there's always exceptions, right? Because you never hit everything 100%. But in terms of hitting the power numbers, absolutely.

"But then the durability testing has to match that and has to follow that," he added. "So do you hit everything perfect? No, because that's the reality of a programme.

"But you know that's going to happen along the way and then it's a matter of how you react to what you find along the way, with what sense of urgency and what mindset of the people. We're reacting to everything that we see.

"As you are developing and finding more power along the way, there's testing that gets done for the durability. So it's basically power, durability, power, durability," he explained.

Rushbrook insisted there is no way any of the power unit manufacturers can have an idea what their rivals are doing, as each will have a unique development path based on individual understanding of the rules.

"You don't know where they are at," he insisted. "Unless you are testing on the same dyno and under the same conditions, you simply don't know.

"There's hearsay, right, of who's where, who's ahead, who's behind, but honestly nobody really knows," he pointed out, as there are whispers within the Formula 1 paddock that Mercedes—as was the case in 2014—is in a strong position, while it seems newcomers, Audi, are in trouble. Red Bull are rumored to have issues as well.

Rushbrook then added: "When you see and understand the rules, then you're able to, based upon judgement and understanding those rules, decide what should be possible within the margins of those regulations.

"Now, we may have said, this is what's possible and this is the way to get there, so that's the track that we're on. But we don't know if Mercedes or Ferrari think that something different is possible.

“It may be higher or lower than us, so everybody can say that they're on track, but they may be on track to a different development," he concluded.

As the 2026 Formula 1 looms, there have been worries that the new power units that deliver power from an Internal Combustion Engine and electric component on a 50-50 basis may suffer on power-sensitive tracks, as the batteries might get depleted on the straights.

There have been discussions about bringing back V10 engines powered by sustainable fuels, but they have been swept away with a new proposal now being discussed to reduce the contribution of the electrical part to 40% in race trim.

Red Bull have supported that latest proposal while Mercedes refused it, that is, until Toto Wolff recently U-turned on his original stance.

(Quotes from Motorsport.com)