Under the new rules around half of the power an F1 car uses during a lap will come from the hybrid system, which is three times larger than on the previous cars. The hybrid system has an output of 470bhp.
Prew described Red Bull’s decision to develop its own chassis as being “born out of bold ambition”. The powertrain division was started from scratch in 2021, and now has around 700 staff. He described the partnership with Ford as “a very natural collaboration”, and said that the partnership has grown as the two firms have explored new possibilities.
Christian Hertrich, Ford Racing’s chief powertrain engineer, insisted that the deal was “not a sticker exercise for us”. He cited 12 specific parts that Ford has developed for various elements of the power unit, but also said that Red Bull was drawing on Ford’s scale and engineering experience.
He added: “They bring an opposite mindset to us. We’re a big behemoth that is maybe slow in some aspects, with lots of process and procedure. They bring creativity, innovation and speed. That can push us. We can bring methodical process. So it’s a good partnership.
“We’re bringing different ideas together, all so we can get to the end goal by different approaches. They’re bringing a culture of winning single minded. We have vast expertise of manufacturing, and deep resources across the globe, while they’re starting from nothing.”
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