Метка: Red Bull Racing

Red Bull’s 2026 F1 engine project “hitting targets”

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Red Bull Powertrains will be working in conjunction with Ford to help deliver the engine that will power the current world champion squad for F1’s new rules era.

It already has its dynos hard at work in evaluating the performance of its new turbo-hybrid design and while there have been various rumours about the level of progress Red Bull is making with its project, Horner insists everything is on track.

Speaking to Autosport about where things were at, Horner said: “With the engine, we’re on an aggressive curve being a brand new power unit manufacturer but the team is really rising to that challenge.

“Our facilities are complete, both from a test and development point of view with dynos and rig rooms, etc, and manufacturing capability.

“But two years in the engine world is a very small period of time. We’re on a steep learning curve, but we’re on that curve and where we would expect to be on that curve at this point in time.”

While Red Bull does not know the progress that is being made at other manufacturers, Horner says that it laid out some performance levels that it reckons it needed to reach on its roadmap to 2026 – and that are being met so far.

“We are hitting the targets that we’re setting ourselves,” he said. “Now, how those targets stack up to our competitors is always difficult to know. But the effort that’s going in behind the scenes is huge, because it is literally a race against the clock to the start of 2026.”

The uncertainty about the performance of Red Bull’s 2026 power unit prompted speculation earlier this year that it could be a factor in prompting Max Verstappen to question his long-term future at the squad.

However, the three-time world champion insisted that it was far too early to be concerned about how things were looking this far out from the engine running for the first time on track.

“I mean, if I have to speculate about everything… I might be worried if I’m still alive tomorrow, right?,» the Dutchman said about any potential engine fears.  «So, I don’t really worry about that too much.

«Of course, I am in close contact with Christian about that and the people working there. Everyone’s working flat out, so there is no need to panic about that. It’s still not 2026.

«We know that it is a very big task, we don’t take that lightly. And of course, with so many well-established engine manufacturers, we also don’t think it’s going to be easy to beat them.

«But we have a lot of good people working on the project and we’re very excited about it. So time will tell, of course, where it’s going to be.»



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Horner has learned “not to listen” to Wolff over F1 title claim

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Max Verstappen’s dominant performance at the Japanese Grand Prix, as he took his third win from four races this year, left few in any doubt that the Dutchman is the clear favourite to grab his fourth world title this season.

And while closest challenger Ferrari hopes it can find gains to start putting Red Bull under more pressure for wins, Wolff thinks it a pipe dream that anyone can stop Verstappen.

“No one is going to catch Max this year,” said Wolff in Japan. “His driving and the car is just spectacular. You can see the way he manages the tyres and, basically, this season now is [about] best of the rest.”

But Red Bull does not see things being as straightforward as that, with Horner taking the opportunity to have a subtle dig at his nemesis.

“It’s very early to write off your year,” said Horner when asked about Wolff’s comments. “There’s still 20 races to go, but I’ve learned not to listen too much to what Toto said over the years.”

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko also backed up Horner’s view that it was far too early for rivals to be congratulating them on securing the title.

“Please leave me alone,” Marko told oe24 about Wolff’s remarks. “We’ve only driven four races. There are 20 to go. In Melbourne, we saw how quickly everything can turn around. Ferrari is strong and reliable, we can’t write them off yet.”

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Marko did agree with Wolff’s assessment, however, that Verstappen was driving so well at the moment.

“We have a good car, but then Max makes the difference once again,” he added. “Everything was clear in Suzuka, but then Max drove this incredible fastest lap on worn tyres, not just for fun, but to get his message across: ‘Hello, the rest of you are only there to finish second!’

Despite being mindful that the world championship is far from won, Horner also reckoned that Verstappen was in incredible form.

“I think he’s in great shape,” he said. “He’s changed trainer over the winter. He’s fit, he is lean and the car is in a great window. You can hear the spare capacity he has in the car.

“He’s wanting to know about not just who’s behind him, but who’s behind that as well, and what times are they doing. The capacity he has is very impressive. So, yeah, the form that he had last year has just carried through.”

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Autosport Podcast: F1 Japanese GP review

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The squad’s miserable Australian adventure appeared a distant memory as the Bulls charged to a 1-2 result that never seriously looked in doubt.

The latest edition of the Autosport Podcast discusses Red Bull’s race, along with various other key talking points from the Japanese weekend.

Jake Boxall-Legge and Filip Cleeren join host Bryn Lucas to also examine another podium result for Carlos Sainz, as well as a sixth-place finish for Fernando Alonso that the Aston Martin driver rated as one of his top-five F1 performances.

The opening-lap clash between Alexander Albon and Daniel Ricciardo is also dissected, including the impact it has on a Williams team that has already been battling a shortage of parts.

Meanwhile, McLaren might be performing well on track, but there is plenty of intrigue away from it with technical director David Sanchez departing after just three months, and this is also discussed on the podcast.



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