After a stint with Honda that resulted in four drivers’ titles and two constructors’ championships, Red Bull will appear at the start with its own engines in 2026. As is known, the brand does this in collaboration with Ford, which returns to the premier class in this capacity. Although Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook acknowledges that the project – as Toto Wolff said in Zandvoort – has ‘Mount Everest’ to climb, he believes the preparation has been as optimal as possible.
The process and ‘some nervousness’ before the first test
“It’s going according to plan and we are where we need to be, but of course it all only really comes together when the car is on the track. That will be an important day and an important week. Only then will we see whether all the work of the past three years pays off,” Rushbrook begins during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com. The first significant test will be the winter test in Barcelona, which – also for the press – will take place completely behind closed doors.
Asked if Ford is nervous about that test, Rushbrook continues: “Well, there’s always some nervousness when a new car or engine hits the track for the first time. Our computer tools are good for designing things, our labs are good for developing and calibrating the hardware, but you haven’t seen everything until it actually comes together on the track. We can simulate a lot in our virtual environment, but the question remains whether you’re going to see things on the track that you don’t see in the labs.” could see.”
Rushbrook has previously explained to this website that the development of the 2026 engine has gone step by step: trying to find a little more power, then get the reliability to the same level, and if that has been successful, try again to find a little more power. Moreover, power and reliability are not yet all facets. In the final phase, the focus was also on another aspect: driveability, the feeling the driver gets behind the wheel of the motorcycle and the extent to which it is user-friendly.
“It’s about power, performance, reliability and then driveability. In terms of the timeline and the objectives we set at the start of our program, we have achieved them. In recent months the work has mainly focused on driveability and calibration,” Rushbrook gives an insight into the process at Red Bull Powertrains. “Some of this can be done with computer models, some in the lab and another part is done with drivers in the simulator. That is the focus now.”
Has Red Bull-Ford set the bar high enough?
When it comes to pure power, the main question for any engine supplier is whether the bar for internal targets has been set high enough. Rushbrook states that the internal targets have been achieved, but no one knows where Ferrari, Honda or Mercedes have set the bar. With that in mind, the question naturally arises as to how exactly Red Bull-Ford has determined its own goals.
“Actually just based on the rules that everyone must stay indoors. Based on that you can calculate what is theoretically possible and that is your ultimate goal,” Rusbrook explains. “As a result, I think everyone was aiming for roughly the same thing. All engineers probably came to similar estimates, since everyone is dealing with the same laws of physics. You look at what is theoretically possible and then it’s about how efficiently you get there – also in terms of power transfer in practice.”
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan noted in Las Vegas that it would be logical if Red Bull would be slightly behind existing manufacturers in F1 with the internal combustion engine, as the ICE has not completely changed compared to the previous regulations. “It would be minimal, I think,” Rushbrook responds. “Because yes, other manufacturers have years of experience, but with the rules for 2026 it is slightly different. And of course we have also brought together many experienced people from different programs. So even if we are a little behind with the combustion engine, I think it will not be much and that we can make up for it in all other areas.”
No repeat of 2014 in F1?
As for the internal combustion engine, the FIA has also come up with a safety net, the so-called ADUO system. After three periods of six races each (1-6, 7-12, 13-18) the balance is taken up. Manufacturers who are between 2% and 4% short of the best ICE in terms of pure power will receive one additional upgrade. Manufacturers who are more than 4% behind will get two update opportunities.
This should prevent a repeat of 2014 – when Mercedes’ dominance was established for years – and, according to Rushbrook, is a good thing for the sport. “I think the current setup is good, yes. Ultimately, it’s positive for the sport as a whole, right? We want everyone to have the opportunity to be competitive. So adding something like that to the regulations is good for the sport, I think.”
The FIA doesn’t want to hear from fans who call ADUO a kind of Balance of Performance, and Rushbrook shares that view. “No, this is certainly not Balance of Performance. We race in different championships and for some classes a BoP is appropriate, purely if you look at what kind of championship it is. In endurance racing, everyone comes up with such a different car and architecture that it fits there. But this [in de Formule 1] is a technological battle based on the rules.”
The key question is of course how Red Bull-Ford can get out of the starting blocks in this ‘technological battle’. Question marks remain until the test days in Barcelona and perhaps even until the season opener in Australia, but Rushbrook is at least satisfied with the preparations in Milton Keynes. Yes, Wolff was right with his comment about climbing Mount Everest, but for now the American brand is cautiously optimistic. “What Toto says is true, right? It is true in the sense that it is of course a start-up. But as I said before, we work with a combination of people from different programs. We think we are in a good position, but of course we will only see that in practice.”
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