Challenge Red Bull Powertrains: 'Mercedes never done anything different'

Red Bull Racing, after its rock-solid 2022 season, is ready to go for the world title again in the coming years. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, the team is working hard with Red Bull Powertrains to continue to make this possible from 2026 onwards. De Limburger got the opportunity to visit the new factory.

When Honda decided to quit Formula 1 at the end of last calendar year, Red Bull decided to take matters into its own hands. Within six months, the Austrians managed to build an entirely new factory, which has since employed around 300 people. The fact that over 50 of those employees come from Mercedes is not for nothing.

"Mercedes has never done anything but build engines," Steve Brodie, guide and also head of department, told the Medium. "At Red Bull, originally they were really only good at making a sticky sports drink. To build something from the ground up here and make it a success is what drives most people to choose this project."

The ambitions at Red Bull Powertrains can be called big. Whereas other racing teams have had the knowledge for decades, Red Bull has to start working from scratch. However, it is goal-oriented and only goes for the highest achievable. "At Red Bull, if we do something, we either do it very well or not at all," he says.

All employees at the plant wear dust-free clothing to avoid coincidence, Brodie explains. "That is to prevent a lint, for example, from getting into a cylinder. That could have fatal consequences. Lewis Hamilton's engine once broke down because of that."

Red Bull Powertrains, meanwhile, is already extensively testing the first versions of the engine for 2026. In doing so, it cannot help but challenge the competition. "It can't hurt if they also know at Mercedes and Ferrari that we are on the right track," it says.