F1 pundit shares major update on Red Bull's first power unit: "I'm absolutely certain it will be a great engine"

Red Bull fans can rejoice as Peter Windsor has shared a positive update on Red Bull's first power unit slated to roll out in 2026. The renowned F1 pundit insists that the engines from the Austrian outfit would be the ones to look out for.

The Milton-Keynes-based team decided to go for the unusual road of engine-making after their long-standing ties with engine supplier Honda came to an end. Following the conclusion of the 2021 F1 season, Honda decided to withdraw from the sport, and it landed the Austrian team in a massive jeopardy.

Although Honda backtracked and reversed their decision, it was too late for Christian Horner's team to wait for the Japanese manufacturers again. Eventually, Red Bull GmbH invested heavily in their Milton Keynes factory to develop their own powertrains and eliminate dependency on others.

“I spoke with those responsible for the Red Bull engines in Barcelona, they will not disappear from the top of F1 in 2026 and they will not have a slow engine," said Windsor during an interview with Cameron F1 on YouTube. "Many in F1 will be shocked by how good their power unit will be, I'm absolutely certain it will be a great engine."

The energy drink owned-team is currently developing the engines under the leadership of Ben Hodgkinson, under whom Mercedes thrived during the post-hybrid era. Hodgkinson was the former head of Mechanical Engineering at Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains and worked for the Silver Arrows for over two decades.

Horner's team tied up with Ford last year and is using the American manufacturer's inputs in developing the powertrains. Honda, on the other hand, decided to go with Aston Martin from 2026 onwards.

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Christian Horner: ''We are on a steep learning curve"

F1 Grand Prix of Spain: Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase in the garage. Courtesy: Getty Images

Despite all the hunky-dory news of Red Bull Powertrains, Christian Horner indicated that there are significant challenges that lie ahead. Competitors Ferrari and Mercedes are proven powers in this category, but Horner's team is yet to test the waters.

"We're on a steep learning curve, where we've got 70 years of disadvantage to Ferrari. But we've got a great group of people. We've got, we're applying the same philosophy as we have on the chassis to the engine. It's a different challenge with the engine," said Horner following the conclusion of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Despite this, Horner revealed that he would prefer to wait till 2026 to find out how much ground they covered in reality. Besides Red Bull, its sister team Visa Cash App RB will also use the powertrains developed in the Milton Keynes-based factory.