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Laurent Mekies agrees with Christian Horner about Red Bull’s ‘crazy’ F1 engine project for 2026

Originally posted on HITC | By Shay Rogers | Last updated Dec 17, 2025 5:00 AM ET

Red Bull are embarking on their biggest new project since joining the Formula 1 grid in 2026 as they bring their own power units to the track for the first time.

It’s a gigantic step for them to be taking, and one that has been years in the making. They announced the formation of their powertrains division back in 2022.

After years of learning from Honda, one of the best in the championship, they should be able to bring something solid to pre-season testing in January.

Helmut Marko walked away from Red Bull, which provides an interesting curveball for them from a talent management perspective.

They have two young stars in new roles next year, and the Austrian’s experience would have been handy at some stage in the year.

Red Bull fans have low expectations for 2026, after an admission by Max Verstappen that he expects to be spending a lot of time in the pit lane, solving teething problems. It will be frustrating.

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Laurent Mekies agrees with Christian Horner about Red Bull’s ‘crazy’ engine call for 2026

New team boss Laurent Mekies has just spoken to Sky Italia about the introduction of the team’s new project. He wasn’t too optimistic.

“The decision to develop our own power unit, with the help of Ford, may seem almost crazy,” he said. “However, we are well aware that we can’t expect to reach the level of those who have been doing it for 90 years. I hope we can find a solution quickly.”

Largely, it appears he is in agreement with previous Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who said it would be ’embarrassing’ for Mercedes if their engine was slower than his team’s next year.

“We understand the pressure that there is next year, with us coming in as a new power unit manufacturer,” he told Autosport this summer.

“The challenge of that is enormous. But we’ve got a hugely capable group of people. We’ve invested significantly. We’ve got a great culture within the team. Who knows?

“To expect us to be ahead of Mercedes next year is. It would be embarrassing for Mercedes if we were, or for any manufacturer. But I think we’re going to be in a competitive position, potentially even to where we are today relative to our other PU manufacturers. There’s everything to play for.”

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Why Red Bull cannot be expected to have a quick engine in 2026

Fans who watched Formula 1 just over 10 years ago will remember the struggles that virtually every team had when the current 1.6 litre V6 units were introduced.

From a reliability and performance standpoint, everyone but Mercedes struggled. Renault, Ferrari, and Honda all struggled to get a grip for a few years.

And they all had years of experience crafting engines. Red Bull are an entirely new operation built from the ground up.

It could take them years to play catch-up with their rivals, and is exactly why Max Verstappen might look to move if he doesn’t have a winning car for 2026.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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