Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies addressed the massive engine development program that the team is taking on in partnership with Ford.
The Austrian race team is becoming a power unit provider next season as the team looks to keep all of its car development in-house.
Top teams tend to be those who develop their own power unit, like Mercedes or Ferrari, though success is possible as a customer team.
Red Bull, since it broke into the sport, has been a customer of Honda, most recently, though in the past it was powered by Renault.
Starting in 2026, it is taking another step in developing the entire car independently, a decision which former leader Christian Horner made.
Mekies is now taking over the project, inheriting the massive challenge, though he seems up for it.
“I think it’s as crazy as it gets to take the decision to do your own power unit as Red Bull,” he told Motorsport.com.
“It’s an unbelievable challenge to be associated with. It’s the sort of crazy stuff that Red Bull does, so it’s a good feeling.”
The engine program elevates the team’s potential, giving them the ability to get income from selling the power unit, while also developing the car around the power unit design.
With the upside, though, comes a monumental challenge that could see a bumpy start compared to teams that have years as a power unit.
“We don’t underestimate that these guys have been doing it for 90 years or something like that, so it would be silly from our side to think we are going to come here and right from the start be at Ferrari’s level or at Mercedes’ level,” he added.
“I think that would be silly. But it’s being set up the Red Bull way at the maximum possible level. We take it step by step, and we will see.
“We are trying to ramp up the power unit and the structures that go around the power unit – the people, the infrastructures – as quickly as possible.
“We expect, for sure, a year with a lot of hard work with a lot of sleepless nights to get to the right level, but it’s a challenge that we feel very much being a Red Bull challenge. And we love that.”
The pressure is on Red Bull to deliver a title-challenging power unit. If the team struggles next season, star driver Max Verstappen could walk out.
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