Red Bull-Ford PU ‘way beyond’ expectations as ‘many doubts cleared’

Isack Hadjar has admitted that he had “many, many doubts” over the Red Bull Powertrains engine ahead of the F1 2026 pre-season testing.

Red Bull is producing its own engines for the first time in F1 2026 via its Powertrains division, which is working is collaboration with US manufacturer Ford.

Isack Hadjar: Red Bull PU doubts ‘cleared very quickly’

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Rumours throughout last season claimed that Red Bull was struggling with the development of its new engine, with then-team boss Christian Horner claiming in July 2025 that it would “embarrassing” for established manufacturers if RBPT produced a better power unit for 2026.

Horner’s comments were echoed by his successor, Laurent Mekies, who conceded that it “would be silly” to expect Red Bull to rival the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari from the off.

However, the Red Bull Powertrains engine proved to be one of the biggest revelations of pre-season testing in Bahrain, winning admirers up and down the paddock.

Analysis: Why Red Bull was the real winner of F1 2026 testing

Why Red Bull was the real winner of F1 2026 testing

Bahrain telemetry suggests Red Bull engine edge after Wolff claim

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, claimed during the first pre-season test in Sakhir that the Red Bull was a second per lap faster on the straights alone.

Wolff’s comments were echoed by Williams driver Carlos Sainz, who remarked that Red Bull Powertrains “was a clear step ahead of anyone else” in the early stages of testing.

Hadjar has joined Red Bull Racing ahead of the new season following an impressive debut campaign with the Racing Bulls sister team in 2025.

And the French-Algerian driver has admitted that the RBPT engine has exceeded his expectations after concerns during its development last year.

Hadjar told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “It’s way beyond what I anticipated.

“I think the impression last year, towards the end of the season, they were not very positive. The rumors, even within the team, they were not completely satisfied.

“And in [the] Barcelona [shakedown in January], day one, I think I did 110 laps straight away, so I was very – in a positive way – surprised.

“For a team that started the project three years ago, it’s very impressive.”

Having aired concerns over the reliability of the F1 2026 cars, Hadjar says his doubts over Red Bull’s durability have been “cleared” on the back of testing.

Red Bull completed the third-fewest number of laps across the six official days of Bahrain testing with 672 on the board, bettering only 334).Cadillac (568) and Aston Martin (334).

For comparison, world champions McLaren completed the most laps in Sakhir with 817.

Hadjar said: “Honestly, in Barcelona I had many, many doubts and they cleared very quickly.

“Of course, I still expect us to have issues during the season.

“It’s normal, but a lot less than what I thought.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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