LONDON : Red Bull powertrains boss Ben Hodgkinson prefers to talk about belief rather than expectation after the team’s landmark first victory as a Formula One engine manufacturer.
Max Verstappen’s win from pole position, complete with the fastest lap, at last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia came 16 races into Formula One’s new rules era and surpassed the expectations of those who doubted the energy drink company could build a power unit from scratch to rival established manufacturers Mercedes and Ferrari.
The Sepang race also delivered the first pole position of 2026 for a car not powered by a Mercedes engine. But Hodgkinson remains cautious about raising expectations ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, where four-times world champion Verstappen will make his 250th start.
“We’ve won a race. One out of 16,” the technical director told Reuters.
“I think expectation is a dangerous word for any engineer in Formula One. As soon as you start underestimating the competition is when you start losing. The whole (engine) project was constructed with the belief that this was possible. So I believed. I didn’t expect.”
FROM BUILDING SITE TO WINNERS
The journey from a building site to race-winning machinery has been far from straightforward for Red Bull, which previously relied on engines supplied by other manufacturers during its championship-winning eras.
“There’s been lots of moments along the way where things didn’t feel like they were going very well. And to finally pull it all together to get that win was a very special moment indeed,” Hodgkinson said from his office at the team’s Milton Keynes factory.
“So many people didn’t think that we would be in this position — other teams, members of the press, probably even members of our own family thought that we’re taking on something pretty extreme.
“But the collective mindset and something that I’ve found really unique about Red Bull is the willingness to take on the bold, audacious projects and just prove everybody wrong.”
Red Bull built its power unit operation from the ground up, recruiting specialists from rival teams while established manufacturers could draw on existing facilities and expertise. Newcomers Audi and returning manufacturer Honda have yet to produce a race-winning package.
Mercedes have won 11 of the 16 races this season, with Ferrari and McLaren taking two each. As recently as last month, former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner said he could not see Red Bull winning a race this year.
Hodgkinson, who joined Red Bull from Mercedes, said such doubts had served as motivation.
“There’s something about this project that was a very Red Bull thing to do,” he said. “You know, the ‘Just a fizzy drink company’ daring to take on power unit manufacturer as well as chassis.
“It is something I think probably only somebody like Red Bull would take on. And it was done with the ambition of wanting to achieve something great right from the very beginning.”
NOW THE ENGINE BENCHMARK
Red Bull is the only British-based team to produce both its chassis and power unit at the same site, while Mercedes operates from separate facilities in Brackley and Brixworth.
Partner Ford has provided invaluable support through personnel, facilities and manufacturing, Hodgkinson said.
Although Verstappen’s victory at Sepang came as something of a surprise, helped perhaps by the circuit’s surface and the Dutchman’s exceptional performance, the Red Bull power unit had already established itself as a leading package. The governing FIA has identified it as the benchmark against which rival engines should be assessed.
The 2026 power units are split roughly 53-47 between combustion and electric power, with the balance set to shift further towards combustion in the coming years.
Hodgkinson, however, cautioned against focusing too heavily on outright engine performance rather than the speed of the complete car.
“I think getting too hung up on the best engine is something that the regulations almost force you to do… but it’s really about your overall pace,” he said.
“Sometimes you can make decisions on engines which actually would reduce its performance but overall makes the car go quicker. So we measure ourselves on our on-track performance.”
“I’m super-proud of what we’ve done,” he added, lifting a mug from his desk bearing the slogan ‘Red Bull best with ice’ — a double meaning that could refer to both the internal combustion engine and the drink.
“That’s all it is. I’ve got a mug to prove it.”
