Red Bull’s own engine clinched its first victory at the 2026 Sepang Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen crossing the line in a car powered by a Red Bull Powertrains unit built at the team’s Milton Keynes plant.
Red Bull’s First Engine‑Won Grand Prix
The triumph marked the culmination of a project that began when Red Bull felt the need to create an engine of its own after Honda confirmed its withdrawal from Formula 1 in 2020.
Helmut Marko clarified in March 2023 that the cars would run solely on Red Bull Powertrains power, while Ford would contribute only battery‑technological expertise. The move meant the team could control every element of the power‑unit, a strategy that paid off in Sepang.
A Return to Ford Roots
The story of a Ford‑powered win echoes 23 years earlier, when Giancarlo Fisichella claimed the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix driving a Jordan equipped with a Ford‑Cosworth RS1 V10. The race was marred by red‑flag confusion and a controversial lap count, but the F1 stewards awarded the victory to Fisichella after an appeal.
That 2003 finish remains the last time a Ford engine topped the grid until Red Bull’s engine lifted the Red Bull crest at Sepang.
The Road from Honda to Red Bull Powertrains
Following Honda’s announcement to end its works involvement in 2020, Red Bull had to chart a new path. The team had previously run Renault engines under the TAG Heuer badge, a partnership that many felt was a compromise. Recognizing the risk of depending on external suppliers, the leadership team decided to launch an in‑house engine division.
Construction of a purpose‑built campus in Milton Keynes began soon after. Engineers recruited from rival manufacturers poured over blueprints, and the first prototypes appeared on track by mid‑2023.
The Vanishing Porsche Collaboration
In July 2021, a meeting between chief executive Oliver Blume of Porsche and Red Bull officials sparked speculation about a joint venture, with the idea of a Cobra‑powered F1 programme. While the partnership met at Hangar‑7 and initially seemed promising, it fell apart in early 2022.
Christian Horner, chief of strategy, preferred to keep decision‑making internal and avoided the board‑approval process that a collaboration would have required. The result was the sole creation of the Red Bull engine.
Horner’s Enduring Legacy
The success at Sepang is a postscript to a legacy that began when Christian Horner took the helm of Red Bull Racing in 2005. Though he stepped down before the victory, the foundation he laid—both in engineering and strategic culture—enabled the achievement.
His forthcoming autobiography, “Drive”, will detail how an energy‑drink company built a championship‑winning chassis and, eventually, its own most powerful internal‑combustion engine.
With the FIA’s ADU classification confirming Red Bull Powertrains as the most potent IC engine in the sport, the team now stands on the brink of a new era.
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