Racing Bulls tech chief claims Red Bull Formula 1 power unit driveability is fantastic

The 2026 F1 season marks Red Bull Racing's first attempt to produce their own power unit after years of working with other manufacturers like Renault and Honda.

As such, Red Bull Racing have joined forces with Ford, and their first F1 power unit, the DM01, built as per the 2026 regulations, was born, and from what we have seen so far, it have been well conceived.

From Day 1 in Barcelona, Red Bull Racing managed over 100 laps, while Racing Bulls, their junior team using the same power unit, managed over 80, which is quite a decent figure for a brand-new power unit built by a first-time manufacturer.

Commenting on the DM01, Racing Bulls tech chief, Tim Goss, told F1 TV: “It's been a really, really impressive job by Red Bull-Ford Powertrains.

"To come as a complete newcomer to Formula 1 and on your very first day, then to put nearly 200 laps under your belt, it's easy to take this level of reliability for granted, but it can't be underestimated what they've achieved.

“The driveability is fantastic," Goss pointed out and went on to explain the challenges they face as they fine tune the new power units.

He explained: "The difficulty that ourselves and probably all the other teams are coming to grips with is just how the energy management changes a little bit from lap to lap, from corner to corner, and just trying to understand how best to tune all of that and for the drivers just to get used to it, really.”

The DM01 is not the only new F1 power unit in 2026, as Audi, who have taken over Sauber, have built their own power mill as well but are yet to impress like Red Bull Ford Powertrains did.