Reigning World Champion and probable 2022 World Champion Max Verstappen has spoken about how “big” the job is for Red Bull to build their own power units, following a breakdown in talks with Porsche.
It had looked very likely that Porsche and Red Bull would form a partnership from 2026, with the German manufacturer eager to join the pinnacle of motorsport.
The relationship was set to work very similarly to how Red Bull and Honda used to work, where the Japanese manufacturer designed the power units for the Constructors’ leaders.
However, it’s been reported that Porsche ultimately demanded too much from Red Bull, with the VW-owned company wanting a 50 percent share of the team.
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This was considerably more than Red Bull were wanting to give away, resulting in talks between the two breaking down.
It means that at this current moment, Red Bull must design and build their own power units for 2026, when the new engine regulations will be introduced.
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed that other manufacturers are interested, including Honda, who are currently in talks with the Austrian’s about a ‘works’ comeback.
The energy drink-owned team are more than capable of making their own power units, following the grand opening of their own powertrain department.
Red Bull have remarkably already built and fired up their first 2026 prototype engine, bar ERS, all in the space of 55-weeks.
Incredibly, Verstappen hasn’t yet visited the powertrain department, something he insists he will do the “next time” he’s at the Milton Keynes base.
“I’ve not been there yet,” conceded Verstappen.
“But of course, I’ve seen a few people around and I hear all the stories from Christian [Horner] and Helmut [Marko] as well. It’s pretty impressive what they’re doing there at the moment and what’s to come.
“I spoke to Christian the last time I was at the factory and I said that the next time I’m there we will head over and see what’s going on.
“Because we are so limited on time, when I get there it’s just the simulator the whole day or even after that some media commitments as well.
“I’ve just never really had the time to go there. The next time I’ll do the simulator session, I’ll shorten that a bit and I’ll move over.”
Red Bull have ensured that they have all the equipment and staff needed to produce their own power units, something which they’ll be doing against giant manufacturers like Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.
The Dutchman doesn’t think the magnitude of the job can be “underestimated” but does believe his team are “handling it in a good way”.
“It’s a big job,” added the Dutchman.
“It’s something you cannot underestimate.
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“We are handling it in a good way, but we still have to wait and see until 2026 how it’s going to go.
“But everyone is very positive and motivated, also the new guys who came in, they’re really excited.
“For them, it’s a new opportunity and they seem very happy at the moment and motivated to create something amazing.”