Martin Brundle reveals Christian Horner’s early Red Bull engine tour

Martin Brundle has lifted the lid on an early glimpse inside Red Bull Powertrains — and why he always believed their bold engine gamble would pay off.

Brundle admitted there were some raised eyebrows at Red Bull when he visited as Horner’s guest, adding he is not surprise by Red Bull’s impressive start to life as an F1 engine manufacturer, after what he saw during that visit.

Christian Horner showed Martin Brundle early Red Bull Powertrains run

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Red Bull has achieved immense success as an F1 chassis constructor, winning a total of 14 world championships. But, F1 2026 marks the start of not only a new era for Formula 1, but also for Red Bull.

Red Bull committed to the new regulations as both a chassis and engine manufacturer. Having partnered with Ford, the first Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine heads into battle in 2026. The signs in pre-season were very positive.

A power unit division built completely from scratch over the last few years, Red Bull’s rivals, and the wider F1 community, applauded what was a remarkably reliable run for the engine through pre-season testing.

The Red Bull Ford engine’s energy deployment received praise from Mercedes, and James Vowles, team principal of the Mercedes-powered Williams team.

Brundle is not surprised that the Red Bull Ford PU has come flying out of the blocks.

It turns out that he got a close-up look at the early work being put in, thanks to former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who was a pivotal figure in bringing Red Bull Powertrains into existence.

Speaking on Sky’s ‘The F1 Show’, Brundle said: “Christian Horner took me around it best part of two years ago, and they were just doing their first high-power run on the recharge unit.

“I think they were a bit surprised Christian was dragging a journo in there to have a look at it!

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“But the facilities they have there, the people that they have got there, and the time they’ve had, and the budget, they’ve done a fine job.

“Having seen what they were doing so long ago, I’m not at all surprised, actually.

“And that’ll play out for the Racing Bulls as well. Will they have the reliability down the road of Mercedes in particular, and Ferrari? Perhaps. We’ll find out.”

The F1 2026 season gets underway in Melbourne from 6 March.

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