The 2026 Power Unit Era Begins: Max Verstappen impressed by Red Bull–Ford engine progress – Ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, one of the major talking points is the performance potential of the new Red Bull Powertrains–Ford power unit. As the sport prepares for its next technical cycle, the collaboration between Red Bull and Ford is attracting a lot of attention. According to an insider, world champion Max Verstappen has already seen the early progress, and he is impressed.
Ford is set to unveil the new liveries for Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls on 15 January 2026 at an event held at Michigan Central Station in Detroit. Alongside the car presentations, the manufacturer will share details of the new hybrid power unit and outline its broader global motorsport programme. For Red Bull, this marks the beginning of a new chapter after years of engine cooperation with Honda.
With the introduction of the ‘Red Bull Ford’ power units, both Red Bull-managed teams are entering a new era, focusing on in-house engineering, technical independence and long-term competitive positioning.
A New Era for Red Bull and Ford
Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, described the launch of the Red Bull–Ford partnership as a significant milestone for the organisation.
“The start of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains era is not only a bold step into the future, but also a powerful demonstration of what is possible when world-class engineering, innovation and passion come together,” he said.
Mekies emphasised the effort and ambition behind the programme, highlighting the collaboration between two influential names in motorsport.
“The energy, precision and scale of this project are inspiring. It is the culmination of years of collaboration between two influential names in motorsport. We are very excited to open this new chapter, driven by the same determination and excellence that define Ford and Red Bull.”
This transition comes at a pivotal time for Formula 1, as new chassis regulations and revised hybrid power unit rules will be introduced in 2026. As teams prepare for this new technological landscape, the capability of each manufacturer’s engine department will be crucial.
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Inside the Development: Ben Hodgkinson Speaks
Ben Hodgkinson, Head of Red Bull Powertrains and formerly a long-serving Mercedes engineer, shared his thoughts on the design challenge in the podcast “The Inside Track”.
He noted that, although the concept of the 2026 power units is familiar, the scale of the project is unprecedented for the team.
‘A power unit consists of more than 20,000 components, and normally around 600 of these are redesigned or revised from one season to the next,’ he explained. ‘We, on the other hand, had to redesign every single component. That meant a lot of work at the beginning.’
Despite the enormous undertaking, Hodgkinson believes the project is progressing quickly.
“Given where we are now, I’m quite confident that we’re developing quickly. We started behind the other engine manufacturers, so it’s now a race to be at the front for the first race. I firmly believe that we can be among the leaders. When you shoot an arrow, you aim for the centre of the target.’
However, he was careful to emphasise the dangers of assuming too much.
‘I’m definitely not overconfident. Show me someone who’s overconfident in this sport and I’ll show you someone on the verge of defeat. Overconfidence is a mistake because you never know where you stand.”
What does give him confidence, he says, is the combined strength and commitment of both partners.
‘What I am confident in,’ he continues, ‘is the support from Red Bull, Ford, the team I’ve built, and the facilities we have. I have faith in that. We’ve made the right decisions.”
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Verstappen’s Visit: A Driver’s Perspective
As development continued, Max Verstappen visited Red Bull Powertrains to see the progress for himself. According to Hodgkinson, the reigning champion showed genuine interest and asked many detailed questions, especially after seeing the engines being tested.
“Max was impressed. He was able to see some engines running and hear what the 2026 power unit will sound like.”
Hodgkinson added that the facility often leaves visitors amazed by the precision and depth of the engineering work being done.
“Usually, the people I show things to are blown away by the level of detail. Red Bull Powertrains is a fabulous facility, created by a team of truly exceptional people.’
Verstappen’s technical curiosity was evident during the visit.
“Max has a great deal of expertise. He asked many intelligent questions as we walked around. He wanted to know everything. It was a pleasure to tell him more.”
The Dutch driver, known for his intense focus on performance, quickly sensed the ambition behind the project.
“He quickly realised that he was among like-minded people. We all want to be at the very front. That’s what we strive for.’
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Looking ahead to 2026
As Formula 1 approaches its next major regulatory shift, the Red Bull–Ford collaboration will be under intense scrutiny. The early signs suggest confidence within the team, backed by significant resources and engineering talent. Verstappen’s positive first impressions offer an encouraging glimpse of what Red Bull hopes will be a competitive foundation for the years ahead.
The full picture will become clearer when the 2026 cars and power units hit the track, but work behind the scenes is already well underway — and expectations are rising.
NEXT ARTICLE – Leclerc repeatedly contacted by another F1 team
The huge fanfare surrounding the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello was amplified by the fact that Ferrari had the quickest car come the end of 2024. Across the final six race weekends they closed a 74 point gap to the championship leaders, to fall short of the constructors’ title in Abu Dhabi by just 14 points.
Yet 2025 has been a year of misery for the Scuderia and had Mercedes and Red Bull had a second driver contributing anything like the results of their team leader’s Ferrari would now be a distant fourth in this years title race.
Lewis Hamilton has set the record for a Ferrari driver failing to score a podium since arriving with the team and the likelihood he will go all year without making the Sunday presentation remains high.
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Charles Leclerc, in his seventh year with the Red team has seven podiums from 21 outings, his latest being at the Mexican Grand Prix dominated by Lando Norris. He will complete his 150th start for Ferrari at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, only Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen have racked up more in the team’s 75 year history.
Raikkonen is also the last Ferrari driver to have won the F1 championship, having come from nowhere to pip lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at the last race in 2007. The Scuderia are experiencing their longest ever drought in winning the constructors’ championship, this year makes the number eighteen years.
The Monegasque driver is regarded amongst the best on the grid, particularly in terms of qualifying. His pole position ratio to F1 race starts sees him just outside the top ten of all time with 27 from 147 entries. Yet with just eight Grand Prix victories to his name, thistles a tale of the Ferrari race cars he has been given.
The recent outburst of the Ferrari group chairman, John Elkann, who called his F1 drivers to “talk less” and “focus more on racing” has been interpreted by many as a not so subtle direction for Charles Leclerc. Whilst Hamilton has admitted his struggles are due to adapting to a new team, Leclerc has been vocal about Ferrari being “not good enough”. His most recent attack on the team was in the media day in Brazil…READ MORE
Thiago Treze is a Brazilian motorsport writer at TJ13 with a background in sports journalism and broadcast media, alongside an academic foundation in engineering with a focus on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This combination of technical knowledge and editorial experience allows Thiago to approach Formula 1 from both a performance and narrative perspective.
At TJ13, Treze covers driver performance, career developments, and key storylines across the Formula 1 grid, while also analysing the technical factors that influence competitiveness. This includes aerodynamic development trends, simulation-driven design approaches, and the engineering decisions that shape race weekend outcomes.
His reporting bridges the gap between human performance and machine development, helping readers understand how driver execution and technical innovation interact in modern Formula 1. Coverage often connects on-track events with the underlying engineering philosophies that define each team’s approach.
With a global perspective shaped by both journalism and technical study, Thiago also focuses on Formula 1’s international reach and the different ways the sport is experienced across regions.
Treze has a particular interest in how Computational Fluid Dynamics and aerodynamic modelling contribute to car performance, offering accessible explanations of complex technical concepts within Formula 1.
I’ve read very little of this article – because THIS writer seems to insist in every article penned by them that MV is a “three-time world champion”. If the author cannot get THAT right, what’s the point in checking out anything else they have written? IDIOT
Quite right NanaT, unfortunately this fell foul of the spell / grammar checking software which altered the sentence without being picked up quickly. Thanks for the headsup
FFS – I really CANNOT be bothered to read an article written by someone who apparently cannot even grasp the basic fact –
MV is a FOUR TIME WORLD CHAMPION … NOT a three time world champion
Who writes this crap – and who prints it with such obvious inaccuracies?!?!