Red Bull takes the first step in the ambitious F1 powertrain division

The team has laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new facility that will form the heart of the Red Bull Powertrains division.

As the team prepares to take on the Honda engine project starting next year, Team Principal and Powertrain CEO Christian Horner has set out his plans to ensure his reputation for engine development is in line with his chassis division.

Key to Red Bull’s chassis advancement was the lure of McLaren’s tech boss Adrian Newey in 2006, and Horner says landing top talent on the engine front is also an important part of his plan.

“We will use exactly the same philosophy that we used on the chassis side,” said Horner in an exclusive interview with Autosport.

“Just like I did with the chassis, the intent is to make sure we attract the right talent and the best talent.”

Red Bull is building a new bespoke engine factory as part of its Milton Keynes facility. A few days ago work began on redesigning the current property and the existing facility to create a new functional structure.

Horner felt it was important that Red Bull had its engine factory as close as possible to its chassis operations, which, alongside Ferrari, will place it as the only company with such geographic proximity between its vehicle / engine operations.

“Ultimately, F1 is still a team sport,” he added.

Adrian Newey, Christian Horner Bahrain 2021

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

“It’s a national sport. And that’s one of the main reasons we have our on-site facility on the Milton Keynes campus.

“It is supposed to ensure that there is this seamless integration between the power supply and the chassis.”

While Red Bull will keep some of Honda’s current employees to help take over the project, Horner said his longer-term focus is on producing a new power unit for 2025 regulations.

Horner called the transition “tremendously exciting” and said, “Obviously when the engine was freezing it was important to ensure an effective split.

“But whenever that comes, we will obviously build a structure for the new engine, possibly in 2025.

“We’re going to inherit some great people and talent from Honda, but we’re absolutely committed to getting the right people into the right roles in an efficient manner that fully integrates with the chassis side of the business.”