Juan Pablo Montoya reckons Red Bull’s first home‑built engine could catch the paddock off guard in 2026 — even if the team itself has been busy resetting its leadership.
The former McLaren and Williams racer believes Red Bull Powertrains, partnered with Ford for F1’s next ruleset, has quietly assembled the right firepower for the hybrid era’s reboot. “On the engine side Red Bull have the right people,” Montoya said, pointing to the wave of hires from Mercedes and Ferrari in recent years. “I think they might surprise people with the power unit… They took all the top people… It takes time to collate and integrate.”
It’s an intriguing counter to Christian Horner’s parting-shot realism. Before his exit, Horner admitted it would be “embarrassing” for established manufacturers if Red Bull showed up with the class of the field at the first attempt in 2026. He also stressed the scale of the task, calling the in‑house engine project the biggest challenge since Red Bull joined the grid. Don’t expect miracles on day one, was the message — but do expect long‑term payoff from having chassis and engine built under one roof.
That’s the bet: Red Bull Powertrains-Ford arrives just as Honda shifts to Aston Martin and Audi folds into the Sauber operation. The 2026 regulations reset the competitive deck with a heavily split energy profile and fresh packaging demands. In that landscape, institutional knowledge matters — and Montoya’s view is that Red Bull has hoovered up plenty.
Where he’s less certain is the car. With Adrian Newey now at Aston Martin and Horner gone, Red Bull’s once brutally clear decision-making structure has changed. Technical director Pierre Waché is steering the concept, but Montoya sees a potential adjustment period. “Before, you had one guy, Adrian Newey, that made the final decision on what went on the car. Now everybody’s coming with new ideas… You’re putting really good people in charge, but really good people with no experience of being in charge,” he said, adding that the losses of Horner, Newey and Jonathan Wheatley amount to a major leadership hit. In his view, that’s the sort of turbulence that can take “three or four years” to fully iron out.
Industry chatter has hinted that not everyone is cruising toward the new rules; some manufacturers are said to be far from their targets. Horner’s stance, though, was pragmatic: beating Mercedes out of the gate is unlikely, but the integration of aero and PU design should start paying dividends by 2027–28.
So the paradox remains. Red Bull might not launch 2026 as the finished article — few do after a regulation swerve — but Montoya’s read is they’ll have more powertrain bite than many expect. If the car side finds its rhythm quickly under Waché, the reigning powerhouse could land on its feet faster than the doom-mongers think.
