Christian Horner reveals that Red Bull Powertrains has potential clients for 2026
On the occasion of the Bahrain GP, the boss of Red Bull confirmed the visit of Zak Brown, the boss of McLaren, discussing the Red Bull Powerpoint engines for the 2026 season.
In response to Honda’s departure in 2026, Red Bull has decided to create its own department for its engines called Red Bull Powerpoint. This decision by the Austrian team has attracted the attention of many F1 stakeholders, including McLaren. Zak Brown visited the Red Bull base located in Milton Keynes for a potential partnership, as confirmed by Christian Horner. “With Zak, I thought we were going to have lunch!” jokes the Red Bull boss to the media during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
McLaren is currently linked with HPP, which belongs to Mercedes, but the British team seems to want to explore what is done elsewhere, without necessarily reaching an agreement with Red Bull.
Andrea Stella, the new director of the McLaren team, was promoted to a higher position after Andreas Seidl moved to Sauber. Stella assured that even though they were satisfied with their partnership with Mercedes, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. They could evaluate other potential suppliers. “We have a strong partnership with HPP,” Stella stated. “At the same time, it’s evident that if you look towards the future, you understand what’s available. So I think it’s natural that [Brown visited Red Bull], it’s not a big surprise.”
On his part, Christian Horner asserts that Brown’s visit does not necessarily guarantee an agreement and that there will be further discussions with potential customers. As a manufacturer of power units for 2026, it is inevitable that discussions be held regarding a potential power unit supplier, and it is perfectly natural for us to speak with potential clients.
Additionally, with the performance of the Red Bull Powertrains in 2022 and its upcoming collaboration with Ford, the Red Bull Powertrains engine seems enticing, but there is a lot of competition in 2026, in addition to the existing three suppliers: Alpine, Mercedes, and Ferrari. Audi will indeed join the trio in 2026. Honda has also been confirmed as a potential supplier, reversing their decision to withdraw from the sport.
