F1 News: 'Hard to say' if Red Bull-Ford engine can win in 2026

(GMM) The radical switch to its own engine program in collaboration with Ford is a major risk for Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko admits.

With the team’s current impressive works Honda power unit deal moving over to Aston Martin for the start of the all-new rules cycle in 2026, Red Bull decided to go it alone with ‘Red Bull Powertrains’.

Frederic Vasseur and Renault CEO Luca de Meo have already admitted that Alpine engine personnel are already being poached by Ferrari, but Auto Motor und Sport says two other 2026 engine makers are also scouting for talent at Viry-Chatillon.

“According to our sources, Audi and Red Bull Powertrains have also already put out feelers for Renault employees,” correspondent Joel Lischka said.

With Red Bull’s performance already faltering even in the current Honda era, Marko admits that the team using its own Red Bull-Ford power units from 2026 is a risk.

For one, a further drop in performance could cost the team Max Verstappen.

“Everyone knows that contracts of top drivers have exit clauses that are mainly based on performance,” Marko told motorsport-magazin.com.

“For now, based on the information we have, we are good. But with such a new project, things like the battery and the fuel can really be game changers, so it’s hard to say where we stand.

“You can’t just say that Mercedes or Ferrari will be dominant, because we should also be competitive. But as I said, those two factors can be decisive.

“And if the team or the driver is not happy with certain things, it is possible that the driver leaves. For example, the decline after 2013 was also caused by the new regulations,” said Marko, referring to quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel’s departure for Ferrari.

The interviewer joked that he would like to hire a terrace opposite Marko’s office in his own Graz hotel in the event that Verstappen confronts his Austrian mentor about poor performance in 2026.

Marko hit back: “You won’t necessarily have to do that, because I don’t think Max would be in my office then. He’d be in a different car already.”