Ford and Red Bull bank on Verstappen as pillar to Formula 1 success

Red Bull Powertrains and Ford have joined forces to develop a new hybrid Power Unit (PU) for 2026, a rules reset that is expected to reshuffle the competitive order. Mercedes, dominant in the early years of the last cycle from 2014, are said to be confident about their new unit, while Honda will depart Red Bull to exclusively supply Aston Martin.

Farley told Sky F1 during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where Verstappen claimed pole and victory, and emphasised the Dutchman’s role in shaping the project. “I think he is one of the most important pillars of the foundation for the PU's success. Talking to Max, we at Ford really have grown our respect for Max watching him this year.

"The way he has provided stability without drama in an environment where we’re all just trying to do our jobs. I can really see that in his eyes today versus last year. It’s one of the great things about Laurent and his team. They all have this deep commitment to each other.”

When Ford signed the deal with Red Bull, it was a very different team, with Christian Horner as team principal, as well as the likes of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley. But these titans of the team are no longer around. The new man in charge is Laurent Mekies.

Farley took the chancre to praise Red Bull’s new leadership under Mekies since the Belgian Grand Prix in July: “I came here because I’m a big believer in understanding things with your eyes and ears and I can clearly see the impact Laurent’s had.

"He’s a technical person which is exactly right for this change in 2026. He’s absolutely the right leader. We are completely behind him and I can really feel it with the team," ventured Farley.

Verstappen has been under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 and has taken an active role in the 2026 project. Mekies underlined his star driver’s involvement: “Max is doing a lot more than just asking for the numbers. You would be surprised."

"Max is giving so much to the projects also outside of the car. He’s testing the car in the simulators, he’s working with engineers on both sides of the fence to understand how do we develop these 2026 cars – where do we try to get the power? Where do we try to get the downforce? So that’s how central to the project he is," revealed Mekies

The Frenchman stressed the scale of building a competitive PU from scratch which is demanded by the new regulations, as well as a completely new aero package for the next generation F1 cars: “It’s a massive undertaking to go into.

"We don’t know where we are to comparison to the competition. We are respectful enough of the competition to say, if these guys have been doing it for 50 years, 60 or 70 years. It's starting from zero, getting all our people, getting all the process right, all the infrastructure, and it is going to take some time.

"We do it the Red Bull-Ford way. Therefore, we do it at a top level in every area. It’s not about who is going to be the best team in Barcelona testing in January, but it’s about who will get the project right and who will develop the project," added Mekies.