Red Bull open powertrains facility as Horner admits Porsche interested in partnership

Red Bull plan to make their own engines from 2026 onwards.

Red Bull’s powertrain factory in Milton Keynes has been finished, and opened earlier this week as the team look ahead to the 2026 season.

The Austrian side have a deal with Honda that sees the Japanese manufacturer continue to make Red Bull’s powertrains until the end of 2025, after they had initially ended their relationship at the end of 2021.

The engines are now branded as Red Bull Powertrains [RBPT] and there have been reports in recent months that, under the new carbon-zero fuel regulations in 2026, Porsche will be supplying Red Bull with engines.

It is as yet uncertain whether the four-time constructors’ champions will make their own engines out of the auxiliary factory, or whether Porsche engineers and mechanics will be welcomed into the space to build and develop the power units.

What is now certain is that the building is ready to go.

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“We opened the Red Bull powertrain building earlier this week, so some of the staff moved into the building,” Horner told RacingNews365.com.

“It is a facility that should hopefully enable us to produce really competitive engines, starting from 2026.”

As for whether the Honda name may officially make a return one day, the 48-year-old confirmed that there have not been any negotiations around extending the partnership.

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“We have an engineering partnership, an agreement with Honda to supply the current engines under the current agreement to the end of the 2025 set of regulations but there’s certainly been no discussions with us about that,” added Horner.

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“And of course, you know, there’s discussions of Porsche now looking at entering the sport, which I think is really exciting for Formula 1 to have brands like that want to come in.

“But again, that is subject to what are the regulations going to be and what is the treatment of a newcomer going to be, some of those aspects.”

Red Bull lead the way in the Constructors’ Championship by 63 points in the Constructors’ Standings after 10 rounds of the season, while Max Verstappen is 34 points clear of team-mate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ conversation.

Perez finished second behind winner Carlos Sainz in Silverstone last weekend, while Verstappen ended the race seventh having taken damage while leading.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth following another bizarre strategic call from the Scuderia under the late Safety Car.