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Ford makes some key parts for Red Bull’s F1 power unit, Mekies says

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says Ford makes some key engine elements and gives the team access to specialist engineers.

GPBeat · Newsroom06 Oct 2026, 10:58 · 1 min

Ford makes some key engine elements for Red Bull’s Formula 1 power unit and gives the team access to specialist engineering support, team principal Laurent Mekies said on Monday. He described Ford as a key strategic partner involved almost from the project’s beginning.

Some of those elements are made at Ford and others at the Red Bull campus in Milton Keynes, Mekies said. Red Bull can turn to Ford specialists for support on specific engineering topics; some of them are with the team in Milton Keynes.

Red Bull Powertrains was set up to make an engine for the 2026 regulations so the team could be in control of its own future after Honda’s official withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2021. Ford joined the programme early. Max Verstappen’s victory in Malaysia on Sunday was Red Bull’s first win of the season and the first for the team as a power-unit manufacturer.

Sources 02
  1. SOURCEWet races and why future of F1 engines appears to be V8 turbos - Q&ABBC Sport F1
  2. PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 60 - Final Race ClassificationFIA F1 decision documents
Claims and supporting evidence 5
Mekies said on Monday that Ford makes some key engine elements for Red Bull and gives the team access to specialist engineering support.

The BBC attributes Mekies's account of Ford's manufacturing and engineering role to him.

[1]
Mekies described Ford as a key strategic partner involved almost from the beginning of the project.

The BBC records both parts of Mekies's description.

[1]
Mekies said some engine elements are made at Ford and others at Red Bull's Milton Keynes campus, and that some Ford specialists are with the team there.

The BBC reports Mekies's account of the manufacturing locations and the specialists in Milton Keynes.

[1]
Red Bull Powertrains was set up to make an engine for the 2026 regulations so the team could be in control of its future following Honda's official withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2021; Ford joined early.

The BBC gives this programme history, retaining the qualification that the team could be in control of its future.

[1]
Verstappen's victory in Malaysia was Red Bull's first win of the season and its first as a power-unit manufacturer.

The BBC identifies those milestones, and the FIA final classification lists Verstappen as the race winner.

[1][2]

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.