Red Bull "would be naive" to think its 2026 F1 power unit will be on top

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Laurent Mekies says it would be "naive" to think his squad will nail the 2026 power unit regulations from the start, and admitted the team is bracing for a few "very tough months".

Red Bull will introduce its first-ever F1 engines for the 2026 regulations cycle, developed at its Milton Keynes campus at the Red Bull Powertrains division, with support from Ford.

The decision, which was taken after its previous supplier Honda initially decided to leave F1 and talks with Porsche collapsed, means Red Bull has had to go on a frantic recruitment drive to build its own power unit programme from scratch. The move will see it take on the might of established players Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda, which ended up walking back its exit and joining forces with Aston Martin. Audi also enters the series as a brand-new power unit builder next year. 

While there are frequent paddock suggestions that Mercedes is in a good place to start the new regulation era on the front foot, there is less optimism about Red Bull's chances to be competitive right away.

There are provisions in the 2026 power regulations for manufacturers who lag behind their peers to receive extra development time and budget allowance to catch up, but there could still be short-term pain for manufacturers who don't get it right from the start.

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson - Getty Images

"It would be naive to think that we are going to land it on the top spot straight away there," Red Bull team boss Mekies acknowledged in Abu Dhabi.

"So, we know we are going to have a few very, very tough months. Many sleepless nights, a few headaches, but it's also part of the privilege to be associated with these sort of challenges.

"We've said it many times now, the decisions to do your own power unit, in that case for us with the support of Ford, is the craziest decisions one can take. It was probably a call that only Red Bull can make.

"We started on this field, we now have a building, we have the dynos, we have the 600 people, and we will try to fight against people that have been doing it for 90 years. We love the challenge; we love that idea. It's very Red Bull, very proud to do it with Ford."