Moving to its own engine program in conjunction with Ford is a major risk for Red Bull, admits Dr Helmut Marko. With the team’s contract with the factory Honda engine moving to Aston Martin for the start of the new regulation cycle in 2026, Red Bull has decided to go it alone.
Frederic Vasseur and Renault CEO Luca de Meo have already admitted that Alpine engine staff are already being poached by Ferrari, but Auto Motor und Sport claims two other engine makers for 2026 are also looking for talent at Viry -Chatillon.
“According to our sources, Audi and Red Bull Powertrains have already launched calls for tenders for Renault employees” said AMuS correspondent Joel Lischka.
With Red Bull’s performance already declining even in the Honda era, Marko admits the team’s use of its own Red Bull Powertrains engines from 2026, co-developed with Ford, represents a risk. On the one hand, a further drop in performance could cost the team Max Verstappen.
“Everyone knows that top drivers’ contracts have exit clauses which are mainly based on performance” Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. “So far, based on the information we have, everything is fine.”
“But with such a new project, things like battery and fuel can be a real game-changer, so it’s hard to say where we are. You can’t just say Mercedes or Ferrari will be dominant, because we should also be competitive.”
“But as I said, these two factors can be decisive. And if the team or the driver is not satisfied with certain things, it is possible that the driver leaves. For example, the decline after 2013 (and the departure of Sebastian Vettel, editor’s note) was also caused by the new regulations.”
