F1 2026 Engines, Helmut Marko’s Confidence
Starting from 2026, Red Bull will compete for the first time with its own engine. This engine will undoubtedly benefit from the expertise and assistance of Ford (especially regarding batteries and synthetic fuel), but it will be produced at Powertrains and will formally bear the names of both automotive giants.
There are those who say that the power units of the next generation have been designed to halt the dominance of the Milton Keynes team, and even Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that the abolition of the MGU-H will favor the historic teams. However, Red Bull’s biggest concern is the balance between electric power and combustion power, which Helmut Marko would like to see return to a 60-40 ratio in favor of the latter. Despite these political concerns, the impressions from Powertrains are not dampened: according to the Austrian, Red Bull is “miles ahead” of Ferrari and Audi.
Helmut Marko’s comments
“I don’t believe that we are behind on a technical level. We have involved engineers from Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, and Cosworth. We have Ford as a partner, we have top-level personnel on the combustion engine, and two very bright minds on the electric side,” he said to the German outlet Motorsport-Total. “It’s August, and we have a complete combustion engine with MGU-K and battery working: that’s where we are miles ahead of Ferrari and Audi.”
Some Doubts as Well
The Red Bull advisor has expressed concerns about the future power units if the current balance is confirmed: “We care about Formula 1; we are not racing to become rich. We want the sport to be truly beautiful again, and that’s where we have concerns: Formula 1 is a spectacle and must offer something to the audience. It cannot be that we have to downshift on the straights at Monza. The new power units will see the power of the electric MGU-K motor increase from 120 to 350 kW, with the hybrid part needing more energy to be powered. And since the MGU-H will disappear in 2026, the second electric generator currently connected to the turbo, the only way is to use the endothermic engine as a generator, diverting part of the power produced by the wheels to the battery, resulting in slower speeds on the straights. According to some simulations, at Monza and Spa-Francorchamps, it will be necessary to sacrifice some of the thrust of the thermal engine to the point where top speeds are lower than at Monte Carlo.” – Helmut Marko concluded.
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