Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, has acknowledged it would be \u201csilly\u201d to expect its new engine to be at the same level as Ferrari and Mercedes in F1 2026.<\/p>\n
It comes just weeks after his predecessor Christian Horner admitted that it would be \u201cembarrassing\u201d for the current manufacturers if Red Bull produces a better engine at the first time of asking.<\/p>\n
Red Bull has \u2018a mountain to climb\u2019 with F1 2026 engine<\/p>\n
Red Bull will produce its own engines for the first time next year via its newly established Powertrains division, which will work in collaboration with US giant Ford as current engine supplier Honda enters a new partnership with Aston Martin.<\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com<\/a> earlier this year, Horner described the team\u2019s in-house engine program as \u201cby far the biggest challenge\u201d Red Bull has ever faced in F1 since it arrived on the grid in 2005.<\/p>\n Horner was sacked by Red Bull after more than 20 years in charge of Red Bull in the aftermath of July\u2019s British Grand Prix, with Mekies installed as his successor as chief executive and team principal.<\/p>\n Analysis: Italian Grand Prix<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Italian GP conclusions: McLaren team orders, Norris and Piastri puppets, Verstappen\u2019s little victories<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0The eye-opening data behind Max Verstappen\u2019s dominant Italian GP win<\/a><\/p>\n Appearing in a press conference at Silverstone just days before his departure was announced, Horner conceded that it would be \u201cembarrassing\u201d for the long-established manufacturers like Mercedes<\/a> if RBPT-Ford has a more powerful engine in F1 2026.<\/p>\n Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, recently echoed Horner\u2019s comments, likening the challenge facing Red Bull to climbing Mount Everest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking at last weekend\u2019s Italian Grand Prix, Mekies conceded that Red Bull\u2019s move to produce its own power unit is \u201cas crazy as it gets\u201d in F1.<\/p>\n And he admitted that it \u201cwould be silly\u201d to expect to be on the same level as the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari from the start of F1 2026.<\/p>\n Asked to respond to Wolff\u2019s comments, Mekies told PlanetF1.com\u2019s Thomas Maher and other publications at Monza: \u201cI think Toto is right by saying it\u2019s an Everest to climb. That\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as crazy as it gets to take the decision to do your own power unit, as Red Bull has done. It\u2019s an unbelievable challenge to be associated with.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the sort of crazy stuff Red Bull does, so it\u2019s a good feeling, but we don\u2019t underestimate how crazy it is.<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys have been doing it for 90 years or something like that, so it would be silly from our side to think we\u2019re going to come here and, right from the start, be at Ferrari\u2019s or Mercedes\u2019 level.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be silly.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s being set up the Red Bull way \u2013 at the maximum possible level. We take it step by step.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are trying to ramp up as quickly as possible \u2013 both the PU and the structure that goes around the PU: the people, the infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, as I said, we expect a year with a lot of hard work, a lot of sleepless nights next year to try to get to the right level.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s a challenge that very much feels like a Red Bull challenge and we love that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to put a number on where we think we\u2019ll be \u2013 because I don\u2019t think anybody has a number \u2013 but we know we\u2019re starting with a mountain to climb, as Toto said.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Red Bull news<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Racing Bulls news<\/a><\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 preparations for the new F1 2026 rules \u2013 which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics, are widely believed to be advanced.<\/p>\n The Brackley-based outfit previously emerged as F1\u2019s dominant force after the last major engine rule changes in 2014, winning a record eight consecutive Constructors\u2019 titles and seven Drivers\u2019 championships split between Lewis Hamilton (2014-15 and 2017-20) and Nico Rosberg (2016).<\/p>\n A report in April claimed that all but one of the F1 2026 engine manufacturers \u2013 Red Bull-Ford, Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and newcomer Audi \u2013 is encountering serious trouble with the development of their new engines<\/a> for F1 2026.<\/p>\n It was said that one unnamed manufacturer is struggling with an uncompetitive engine having settled on a different form of biofuel compared to its rivals, which have all opted for synthetic fuel.<\/p>\n Two others are thought to be \u2018a long way behind\u2019 the clear pace setters with little known about the progress of the fifth engine maker.<\/p>\n