Christian Horner returned to the Formula 1 spotlight during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, where he reflected on Red Bull’s recent progress while also taking the opportunity to praise the team’s new power unit project. The former Red Bull team principal insisted that the success of the Red Bull-Ford engine is one of the achievements he is most proud of, before directing a pointed remark toward long-established manufacturers like Ferrari and Mercedes.
Christian Horner reflects on Red Bull’s achievements
Speaking on the Silverstone starting grid on Sunday, Christian Horner once again highlighted the role he believes he played in Red Bull’s recovery during the previous Formula 1 season. At the same time, he distanced himself from the team’s current struggles, explaining that making a meaningful impact within a Formula 1 team requires time.
“To make a difference in a team, it takes nine or twelve months,” Christian Horner said.
However, there is one aspect of the RB22 that the 52-year-old is keen to claim as his own legacy: the Red Bull-Ford power unit. Somewhat unexpectedly—even according to current team boss Laurent Mekies—the engine has emerged as one of the standout performers after the opening five races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. According to FIA concession data linked to the ADUO system, the Red Bull-Ford package has established itself as the benchmark in the paddock.
The origins of Red Bull Powertrains
The foundations of Red Bull’s engine programme were laid years before Christian Horner stepped away from the leadership of the Milton Keynes-based team. It was under his direction that Red Bull decided to become a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer, building a dedicated engine facility alongside its chassis headquarters.
That ambitious project was accompanied by an aggressive recruitment campaign targeting engineers from Mercedes and Honda, following Honda’s original decision to withdraw from Formula 1 before later reversing that choice. Horner was one of the driving forces behind Red Bull’s decision to produce its own engine rather than accept Porsche’s proposal to acquire a majority stake in the team.
That strategy also marked one of the earliest points of disagreement between Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who held different views on the team’s long-term future.
A dig at Mercedes and Ferrari
Given the strong early performance of Red Bull’s first in-house Formula 1 engine—developed initially with Ford providing commercial support before later becoming a technical partner—Christian Horner admitted he takes considerable pride in what has been achieved.
“As uncomfortable as it may be to be judged as having the best internal combustion engine in Formula 1, I’m sure it’s an extraordinary achievement,” Horner told The Times in London.
He then followed up with what appeared to be a clear jab at some of Red Bull’s biggest rivals, including Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Ferrari.
“There are many manufacturers that haven’t managed to build the best engine, even though they’ve been doing it for 75 years.”
Horner also reflected on the remarkable speed at which Red Bull Powertrains was established.
“That relationship with Ford,” he explained, “the fuel developed with ExxonMobil, and even the building we created for the power unit division—it was a bubble-wrap factory just five years ago! There was only one person with even a small amount of experience because he had previously worked at Cosworth, and that was all Red Bull had.”
He concluded by highlighting the scale of the transformation:
“In 55 weeks we built a factory, in 14 months we had an engine running on the test bench, and that company hired 650 people. More than 200 of them came from Mercedes-Benz or Mercedes HPP.”
Horner’s final reference was to Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP), the renowned Brixworth-based engine division that has long been regarded as one of Formula 1’s leading power unit manufacturers.
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