F1 News: Christian Horner To Shift Focus To 2026 Red Bull Powertrains - "Huge Challenge"

The Red Bull boss seems happy with the 2026 power unit progress so far.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner offered an update on the Red Bull - Ford powertrains partnership for their 2026 car. Revealing that "so much has happened" in the background, the team principal is pleased with the progress made so far. 

Having bagged both championships this year, Red Bull's attention is directed not only towards 2024 but also extends to 2026. The team currently relies on power units made by Honda, set to be supplied until 2025. 

However, starting in 2026, Red Bull will embark on the development and production of its own power units at the new Red Bull Powertrains facility in Milton Keynes. This important milestone marks a novel challenge not only for the Austrian team but also for Ford. 

Red Bull has formed a partnership with the American car manufacturer Ford for this engine project. Together, their objective is to ensure that Red Bull Racing and its sister team AlphaTauri have competitive engines from 2026 onwards when the new regulations are implemented. 

Revealing a few details, Horner told Motor Sport Magazine:

“So much has happened in the background, especially with Red Bull Powertrains.

“They have achieved some milestones during the year. And let's not forget that 2026 is not that far away and there is a huge challenge ahead of us. Of course, that will take up a lot of time when I get back to the factory.”

The announcement of Red Bull's collaboration with Ford was made early this year in New York. At that point, it wasn't yet clear to Honda which team they would supply the new power units from 2026, despite being registered with the FIA as engine suppliers. 

On the other hand, questions arose regarding the extent of Ford's involvement in the development process with Red Bull, and whether it was primarily a branding-related exercise. However, clearing the air on the partnership, Horner emphasized his team's excellent collaboration with Ford. He added:

"The collaboration with Ford is excellent.

“We had Bill Ford with us last weekend [referring to Las Vegas GP]

“Jim Farley [Ford CEO] is a big supporter of the project and he was at the factory earlier that week to check on progress. It's great to see that commitment and enthusiasm. That a brand and an OEM like Ford is involved is an extra step for us."