Max Verstappen won the race in Malaysia and then in Singapore a week later with Red Bull’s new Ford-partnered Formula 1 power unit, The Race and Autosport report. The wins came in Red Bull Powertrains’ first season as an engine maker.
Building an engine operation
Christian Horner secured approval for Red Bull Powertrains in February 2021, when it had no factory or tools and just one staff member in Milton Keynes with substantial engine experience, according to The Race. The outlet says a facility was running 55 weeks later and the company fired up its first internal combustion engine by August 2022.
The Race describes a recruitment drive that brought in technical director Ben Hodgkinson and other engine specialists. Hodgkinson told the outlet that the new facility was designed around the 2026 regulations rather than adapted from an existing operation. Ford supplied engineering help, too: Red Bull Powertrains tested its turbocharger design on Ford’s gas stands before it had its own, The Race reports.
Horner’s account of a thank-you call
Horner was no longer Red Bull’s team principal when the power unit debuted. He was dismissed and replaced by Laurent Mekies in July 2025, Autosport reports.
Speaking at Autosport Business Exchange in New York, Horner said Red Bull shareholders and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff reached out to thank him after the first win. “It was quite a different call than I had from him 15 months earlier,” Horner said of Mintzlaff, according to Autosport.
