Sports · Motorsport · 2 hrs ago
Red Bull says its first in-house F1 engine has major room to improve
Red Bull says its first in-house Formula 1 engine is far from its full potential.
Technical director Pierre Wache rated the project four or five out of 10 and said there is substantial room to improve.
The engine is built by Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes with Ford as a partner.
Red Bull relied on outside engine makers for much of its time in Formula 1 before starting this independent program in 2026.
The FIA’s ADUO assessments have ranked Red Bull’s internal combustion engine strongest on the grid.
Those assessments measure engine power but do not include battery or energy output, which Red Bull says should also count.
That difference has fueled a dispute over rules that limit Red Bull’s engine upgrades.
Red Bull wants the assessments changed, while rivals including Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari may prefer the current rules.
The team says engine and chassis staff are still learning to work together, and sees further gains ahead.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache rated the team’s first in-house Formula 1 engine project four or five out of 10 and said its potential to improve is “massive.”
Red Bull’s engine has been assessed as the strongest on the grid in both ADUO findings, according to F1 Oversteer.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has argued that ADUO should also measure battery and energy output, not just internal combustion engine power.
Rivals including McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are described as wanting the rules to remain unchanged.
Red Bull says integrating its engine and chassis teams is taking time, but that building its own power unit offers greater capacity and possibilities.
- Who
- Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache discussed the team’s engine project. Rivals include McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
- What
- Red Bull says its in-house engine has major room to improve, while the teams disagree over proposed changes to the ADUO rules.
- When
- During the 2026 Formula 1 season. The articles were published on October 13 and 14, 2026.
- Where
- Formula 1. Red Bull Powertrains builds the engine in Milton Keynes.
- Why
- Red Bull wants ADUO to account for battery and energy output as well as internal combustion engine power. Rival teams are described as wanting the rules to stay as they are.
Red Bull
McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari
ADUO rules
Red Bull
Red Bull argues the assessment should include battery and energy output as well as internal combustion engine power.
McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari
The rivals are described as keen for the rules to remain unchanged.
Engine upgrade access
Red Bull
Red Bull says it has been blocked from bringing hardware upgrades after the ADUO findings.
McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari
The current rules give other teams and manufacturers a chance to catch up.
Formula 1 introduced ADUO rules alongside its 2026 regulations to try to balance engine power between teams.
Both ADUO findings ruled that Red Bull had the strongest engine, according to F1 Oversteer.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies pushed for ADUO to include battery and energy output.
F1 Oversteer reported Wache’s assessment that the engine project was at four or five out of 10.
Motorsport.com published Wache’s comments on the engine’s potential and the challenges of integrating the engine and chassis teams.
- Engine project rating
- Four or five out of 10, according to Pierre Wache
- Power unit
- Red Bull Ford DM01, a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6
- Engine builder
- Red Bull Powertrains, Milton Keynes
- ADUO assessment
- Red Bull’s internal combustion engine was reported as the strongest in both findings
- Rule-change dispute
- Red Bull wants battery and energy output included in ADUO assessments
- Sources’ publication dates
- October 13 and 14, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
Absolutely, the potential is massive.
I'd say a four or a five.
But the capacity and the potential to have a better performance are higher, and this is why we are doing this.
The collaboration and the integration within the team are taking time because the way we work is a little bit different,