Red Bull know that they face a particularly daunting challenge ahead of the 2026 F1 rule changes. They are building their own power unit for the first time.
The team have publicly accepted that they will almost certainly be behind experienced juggernauts like Mercedes and Ferrari in this department. And with their former designer Adrian Newey suggesting F1 will be an engine formula, this could be a major limitation.
There have been some concerning leaks from the testing process. One report claims Red Bull have been running out of energy on certain straights during simulations.
It’s estimated that Red Bull’s engine will be two-tenths off the pace at the start of next year. But they’ve quietly secured a change to the cars that should work in their favour.
F1 moves away from 50/50 engine split for 2026 in boost for Red Bull
When the 2026 regulation changes were announced last year, F1 bosses said that the battery, now much larger, would account for half of the car’s overall power output, making the sport 50% electric.
However, according to Autosport, ‘in reality’, the balance is expected to settle at 55/45 in favour of the ICE. This could be a de facto rule change, rather than a concrete amendment to the regulations.
This was an outcome that Christian Horner pursued before he was sacked by Red Bull in July. As reported by The Race, Horner lobbied for a five-to-10% adjustment to the ratio.
His belief is that, with F1 pivoting to sustainable fuels, they can afford to ‘lean more on the V6’ while still achieving their goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. It would appear his initiative has been successful, even though he wasn’t there to see it through.
Given Red Bull’s aforementioned difficulties in optimising the battery, this is clearly a boost for Laurent Mekies.
Toto Wolff had previously said there was ‘no chance’ the engine framework would be changed
While it’s good news for Mekies, Toto Wolff may be unhappy – and perhaps rather embarrassed. He had suggested that fear was motivating Horner.
“I think what frightens him more maybe is that his engine programme is not coming along and maybe he wants to kill it that way,” he said. “You always have to question what is the real motivation to say something like that.”
Wolff had said there was ‘zero chance’ – in ‘capital letters’ – of the change happening. But it appears he misread the situation.
The belief is that Mercedes are ahead with their ICE for next year, but the battery remains an unknown.
From next year, ‘override mode’, which amounts to a surge in energy deployment, will replace DRS, so the battery will become even more important in wheel-to-wheel combat.