Horner: RBPT 'will have the capacity' to supply extra F1 teams

Christian Horner says Red Bull Powertrains will focus at the outset on the energy drink company's two outfits in Formula 1, but eventually it will have the capacity to supply extra teams.

Red Bull and sister AlphaTauri currently use legacy power units supplied by Honda, but that arrangement will end upon the conclusion of the 2025 season, just ahead of the introduction of Formula 1's future power unit regulations.

Subsequently, from 2026, both teams will be powered by units developed by Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) which will receive input from Ford, assisting with battery and hybrid technology among other technical aspects.

However, 2026 will also mark the beginning of a cost cap for F1's power unit suppliers, a constraint that will sit alongside the teams' budget limitations.

But contrary to its competitors who will likely need to shed part of their human resources to meet the future cap, RBPT will be able to ramp up its workforce accordingly.

"You have a cost cap constraint now," Horner explained, in an interview with RacingNews365.

"So, unlike the chassis where we've had to come on a blind slope down, this way, we've been able to shape the business to what the cap is."

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Back in March, Horner confirmed he had met with McLaren boss Zak Brown to discuss a potential engine supply deal between Red Bull Powertrains and the Woking-based outfit, while another F1 team – which he declined to name – has also been in contact with RBPT.

But the Briton insists RBPT will likely focus exclusively on Red Bull's own teams at the outset.

"I think initially [we will supply] just two [teams] because, as a start-up, as a brand new engine manufacturer, I think it would be overstretching ourselves if we went beyond that," he said.

"And I think that we just want to focus on servicing the two Red Bull teams first.

"We've had a lot of interest from other teams – at least two teams have shown interest. But we're not ready for that yet."

But Horner admitted that don the road, RBPT will have the ability to supply additional teams.

"We have a capacity to take on extra teams should we want to in future years, but probably for the first couple of years, we want to focus on just the Red Bull-owned teams as we establish the business, the trackside operations, all the things of supplying and delivering engines in a competitive environment," he said.

According to F1's regulations any manufacturer, including RBPT, could be called upon by the FIA to contract with an outfit if the latter is refused a supply deal by F1's engine suppliers.

However, Horner reckons such a case is a long shot for RBPT.

"They could do it", he said. "It's unlikely they'd do that on a newcomer unless quite a few of the other manufacturers pulled out.

"There is an obligation in the regulations if called upon, but I think that probability is zero."

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