Red Bull’s Hodgkinson: “The 2026 engine controversy is noise”
Ben Hodgkinson, Red Bull’s head of engines, has expressed his confidence that his team’s power unit for 2026 is legal, downplaying recent speculation. Red Bull Powertrains, in collaboration with Ford, has developed an engine for the new season regulations. However, it is rumored that they have found a way to achieve a higher compression ratio than permitted. The compression ratio has been reduced from 18.1 to 16.1. Measurements are taken at room temperature, which raises concerns among rival teams, who fear that Red Bull, like Mercedes, may be able to achieve a higher compression at high temperatures. Audi, Ferrari, and Honda reportedly raised this concern with the FIA.
Hodgkinson added that he trusts the legality of his team’s work, and hopes that everyone is within the limit allowed by the regulations. According to F1 regulations, article C5.4.3 states that checks are only carried out with the engine off and at ambient temperature, which apparently favors Mercedes and Red Bull. However, article C1.5 indicates that “Formula 1 cars must fully comply with these regulations at all times during a competition”.“I think there’s some nervousness from several power unit manufacturers, that there might be clever engineering in some equipment,” Hodgkinson stated before the launch of the Red Bull F1 car for 2026.
Ben Hodgkinson
