Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook said the words of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff are “true” regarding the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine.
Wolff described it as a “Mount Everest” project for the new engine manufacturer, and while Rushbrook does not argue that, he believes that Red Bull-Ford is “in a good place” ahead of the hotly-anticipated new season. Rushbrook believes that any engine deficit would be “slight”, and not serve as a hinderance.
Red Bull-Ford ‘in a good place’ belief for F1 2026
One of the biggest regulatory shake-ups which the sport has seen comes into force for the upcoming season. There are sweeping changes on both the chassis and engine sides.
Red Bull has teamed up with Ford to become one of five engine manufacturers alongside Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and fellow newcomer to the scene Audi.
Mercedes team principal and one-third owner Toto Wolff has warned that it would be unwise to take Red Bull lightly, this a team which has amassed 14 world championship wins.
Yet, as Red Bull takes the plunge in becoming an engine manufacturer for the first time, working alongside Ford, Wolff spoke of the enormity of the challenge.
“This project is like climbing Mount Everest,” said Wolff about Red Bull Powertrains-Ford, when speaking with De Telegraaf.
“They are taking on manufacturers with decades of experience.
“But everyone joked when Red Bull entered the sport too. It was like an energy drink manufacturer taking on Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. Well, they’ve won quite a lot.
“But given the complexity of the engines, I do think it will be a huge challenge for them.”
Rushbrook responded to Wolff’s comments when speaking with Motorsport.com.
“What Toto said is true, right?” Rushbrook stated. “It’s true in the sense that this is new a start-up.
“But, it’s a combination of people coming in from different programs. We think we’re in a good place, but we will only see the full picture once we’re on track.”
Should Red Bull-Ford see any deficit on the internal combustion engine compared to rivals, Rushbrook believes “it would only be slight.
“Because yes, existing engine manufacturers have all those years of experience, but it’s still a bit different again with these rules for 2026. And we’ve got a lot of experienced people that came in from other programs to find it together.
“So even if we’re a little bit behind with the combustion engine, we don’t think it’s going to be by much, and we’ll make up for it in everything else.”
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Former Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, when speaking with PlanetF1.com and other accredited media, called it a “new way for Red Bull Racing” in partnership with Ford.
He added: “We were forced to do that when Honda stopped. One year later, they decided, no, they keep going. But that was too late. We had already invested. And also our combustion engine at that time was running.”
Red Bull’s four-time World Champion Max Verstappen will be partnered by new teammate Isack Hadjar in F1 2026.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher
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