Mercedes and Red Bull agree on Hodgkinson

For the second time this week, outsiders must feel the sport is experiencing a rare period of entente cordiale as Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains agree on the Austrian manufacturer’s new technical director.

Days after Red Bull and Aston Martin reached an agreement on Dan Fallows’ (technical director) launch date with the Silverstone-based company, the Austrian company’s engine division has reached an agreement with Mercedes on Ben Hodgkinson.

In April 2021 it was announced that Hodgkinson would assume a key leadership role at Red Bull Powertrains to lead all technical aspects, with a primary focus on the development of its first powertrain to meet the new regulations planned for 2026. No details were given its planned start date.

In the early stages of his career, Hodgkinson spent several years developing racing engines for the World Rally Championship and designing turbocharged Le Mans engines before moving to Ilmor Racing engines, which later became Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.

Hodgkinson began his HPP career in 2001 as a design engineer, rising through the ranks over the next two decades, eventually becoming ICE team leader in 2016 and engineering leader a year later.

The German manufacturer and Red Bull, understandably unwilling to let a man of his experience go, let alone the bitter battle Mercedes has had with Red Bull throughout 2021, issued a brief joint statement yesterday, in which they confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

“Mercedes F1 and Red Bull F1 today reached an agreement on the appointment of Ben Hodgkinson,” it said.

“Under this agreement, Ben, who joined Mercedes in August 2001, is free to join Red Bull Powertrains effective May 24, 2022.”

Adding to the German manufacturer’s frustration is the fact that Red Bull has poached a number of its senior staff, including Omid Mostaghimi, Pip Clode, Anton Mayo and Steve Brodie.

In fact, at the time Red Bull snapped up Mercedes talent, former HPP boss Andy Cowell, the man widely credited as the chief architect of the phenomenal success of Mercedes hybrid powertrains, is said to have been on Christian Horner’s “shopping list” and was turned down.