Verstappen Gives Red Bull Ford Partnership First F1 Engine Win

It took just 16 races for Red Bull Ford Powertrains to stand on the top step of a Formula 1 podium.

Skeptics insisted it could take years to design and refine a brand-new Formula 1 engine from scratch before it could be considered competitive and reliable. Well, Max Verstappen sealed the deal during the entertaining Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, hosted at Sepang International Circuit, securing the first win for a Ford-badged power unit in F1 since 2003 — and 177th as an engine supplier if you bundle in the Cosworth era as well.

After a deal with Porsche fell through, Red Bull and Ford joined forces in 2023 to build their own internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and high-voltage hybrid setup at the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes. The team's work was validated after being named the most powerful internal combustion engine by F1's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities ranking system.

The joint venture saw Ford Racing engineers working shoulder-to-shoulder with Ben Hodgkinson and the Red Bull Powertrains crew to develop hardware and control software. Ford brought its expertise to the high-voltage propulsion systems, internal combustion manufacturing, turbo machinery design, Energy Recovery System (ERS) integration, and engine management code.

"Ford Racing has worked hand in hand with Ben Hodgkinson and his team of engineers at Red Bull Ford Powertrains from the early stages of testing, through to the power unit that we see on track today," said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Racing. "As Red Bull Ford Powertrains celebrate powering this win for Oracle Red Bull Racing, we will do so by marking this as the first win for the Red Bull Ford Powertrains power unit and the 177th win for an engine associated with Ford."

All four cars running the Red Bull Ford DM01 power unit crossed the finish line inside the top 10 points paying positions.

Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Isack Hadjar drove to fifth place, while Visa Cash App Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished seventh and tenth, respectively.

The overall showing delivered massive validation for both the raw speed and thermal reliability of the DM01 power unit, particularly on a day when rival engine manufacturers struggled to cope with changing temperatures and torrential rain. The Ferrari's shut down on the formation lap and had to be reset, while Mercedes suffered a power unit failure in the closing stages.

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