Red Bull Powertrains

Red Bull Powertrains Limited (RBPT) is a Formula One power unit manufacturing company owned by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH and based in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in to take over the operation of Formula One power units developed by Honda from onwards following the Japanese manufacturer's withdrawal from the sport after 2021. Honda continued to support the Red Bull-owned teams in 2022 and will do so until the end of 2025. Honda assembles the power units and provides trackside and race operation support. The power units remain Honda's intellectual property, and due to a development freeze, Red Bull Powertrains will not develop them.

Red Bull Powertrains will take full responsibility for engine supply and operations from 2026, when the company will be renamed to Red Bull Ford Powertrains, following a partnership with Ford Motor Company. Red Bull Powertrains operates in a 5,000-square-foot facility near to the Red Bull Racing chassis department in Milton Keynes.

History

In February 2021, Red Bull Advanced Technologies signed an exclusive distribution agreement for Formula One engines with Honda to start in the 2022 season, after the Japanese automaker left Formula One at the end of the 2021 season. The engines were to be purchased from Honda and renamed Red Bull Powertrains units, and supplied to its two teams currently competing in Formula One, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, starting in 2022.

On 23 April 2021 Red Bull Powertrains announced the hiring of Ben Hodgkinson as technical director. Hodgkinson had been head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains since 2017, and had worked at the Brixworth factory for 20 years. On 6 May 2021, Red Bull Racing announced the hiring of five more senior Mercedes engine employees: Steve Blewett (who will be the production director of the Red Bull power unit), Omid Mostaghimi (chief engine, electronics and energy recovery), Pip Clode (head of mechanical design for energy recovery), Anton Mayo (head of combustion power unit design) and Steve Brodie (leader of combustion engine operations).

On 2 October 2022, Honda announced an agreement for the "re-strengthening" of their partnership with Red Bull Racing and will maintain total oversight of the engines until 2025. Honda's logo will also reappear on Red Bull Racing's and AlphaTauri's car from the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix onwards.

On 4 February 2023, Red Bull Racing and Ford Motor Company announced a strategic partnership that will see Ford return to Formula One in 2026 following new engine regulations. Ford will provide "expertise in areas including battery cell and electric motor technology as well as power unit control software and analytics" and "combustion engine development," and the company will be renamed to "Red Bull Ford Powertrains."

Re-Badged Honda Power Units (2022)

RBPTH001

The RBPTH001 was, despite its name, developed, produced, and maintained by Honda. It was a derivative of the Honda RA621H, with different ignition timing, cylinder pressure, and MGU-H to account for the new E10 fuels. The crankshaft and cylinder block geometry were also modified to ensure reliability when running on E10 fuels, and a specialised coating developed by Honda's motorcycle division was applied to the walls of the cylinders. The injection system, exhaust, and the turbocharger's compressor and turbine were all optimised for E10 fuel. The changes meant that the RBPTH001 weighed more than the RA621H, but the dimensions of the engines are virtually identical save for the exhaust and intake layout and the electrical components. The new engine could also run at noticeably higher temperatures compared to the RA621H. Despite the reduced energy density of the 2022 fuels, the RBPTH001 had greater thermal efficiency than its predecessor.

Formula One engine results

;Notes

*† – Retired before completion, but classified as more than 90% of the race distance was completed.

References

{{Scuderia AlphaTauri

Formula One engine manufacturers
Red Bull Racing
Automotive engineers