Red Bull’s 2026 engine already in production, Monaghan confirms
Red Bull has already started manufacturing its first-ever in-house Formula 1 power unit, chief engineer Paul Monaghan revealed during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
“Some things are already set in stone. The engines are in manufacture. We’ve got large chunks of the car in manufacture,” Monaghan said.
This marks a historic moment for the team. For the first time since joining F1, Red Bull is developing its own power unit instead of using a supplier’s engine.
The ambitious project, created in partnership with Ford, comes just as F1 introduces major regulation changes for 2026.
Getting everything ready for winter testing won’t be easy.
“Getting a car to reliably do laps in a simulation world is proving quite tough,” Monaghan admitted.
The team is racing against time to prepare for the first tests at Barcelona in late January. Those sessions will run from January 26-30, giving teams their first real chance to see how their new creations perform on track.
Monaghan describes the challenge ahead as “quite a mountain to climb,” but notes that every team faces the same uphill battle with the 2026 regulations.
“If we’re at the summit first or if we’re at the summit and others are already there, that’s part of the sport,” he said.
Despite the massive undertaking for 2026, the chief engineer remains upbeat about the team’s prospects for next season.
“It’s not a determined outcome. It’s an unknown outcome. And we, I think, can be competitive next year. I think we’ll have a good car, a good engine. We’ve got awesome drivers. So let’s see how we get on.”
The 2026 power units will use 100% sustainable fuels and feature significantly increased electrical power – making Red Bull’s in-house development an even greater technical challenge.
Can the team that has dominated recent seasons continue its winning ways while building an entirely new power unit operation? That’s the million-dollar question hanging over Milton Keynes.
