Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has disclosed that numerous Formula 1 outfits have expressed interest in the team's power unit, following the FIA's assessment earlier this year that positioned Red Bull's engine as the championship's strongest performer. According to Sky Sports, the decision to grant Mercedes an upgrade—justified on the grounds that they trailed Red Bull's internal combustion engine performance by more than two per cent—has intensified speculation about the competitiveness of the Red Bull-Ford partnership.
The 2026 season marks the inaugural year of Red Bull's collaboration with Ford to develop their own power unit, an achievement few observers anticipated would yield competitive results. This stands in sharp contrast to Aston Martin's struggles with their Honda engine, which has left Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll battling predominantly in the lower reaches of the grid.
We got a lot of unwanted positive publicity about the performance of our engine, and that came with certainly attentions from a lot of teams, Mekies explained.
Are we having any serious conversations with anyone to supply another team? No, we don't think we are ready for that. Is it set in stone for the next five years? No, because I don't know what's going to happen in the next five years.
Despite the widespread attention, Mekies emphasised that Red Bull remains focused on its current commitments.
We still have plenty of work to do to improve the power unit, refine its integration into the car and reach the level of the top competitors. Only then can we consider supplying another team alongside Racing Bulls. Nothing will change over the next year or so.
Speculation has circulated that Aston Martin could pursue a Red Bull-Ford power unit arrangement, with reports suggesting the team could seek such a deal by 2028. However, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has reaffirmed the squad's commitment to Honda, stating he expects the Japanese manufacturer to secure their first victory together, according to Yahoo Sports.
Red Bull's Powertrains Achievement
Mekies praised the Red Bull-Ford Powertrains programme for accomplishing a
phenomenal jobafter establishing a competitive engine from scratch in 2021 and delivering results in their first F1 season.
People realise it's a very good engine. However, we have our feet on the ground. We think it's better to concentrate on Red Bull and Racing Bulls, he told Sky Sports F1.
The Red Bull team principal acknowledged the immense operational demands required to maintain competitive machinery.
We are, at the moment, you may see the cars on track running smoothly but the reality is it's days and nights, very hard work for everyone back at Milton Keynes to keep the teams in a reasonable condition to run.
According to Yahoo Sports, Mekies stated that Red Bull Powertrains staff do not regard the engine as finished, citing
a thousand driveability considerationsthe team believes it can improve. Supplying a third team would require Red Bull Powertrains to expand its staff and resources, according to reporting on the team's current operational capacity.
It's still the first year with all these challenges, so in the near future we will concentrate on these two teams.
Aston Martin's Honda Struggles
Aston Martin have accumulated just seven points this season and occupy tenth position in the Constructors' Championship. Fernando Alonso indicated the team were positioned for their strongest performance yet at the Austin round, only to be thwarted by contact with Williams driver Alex Albon.
Team principal Adrian Newey acknowledged that Honda's performance gap is
fairly clearbut expressed optimism regarding fresh initiatives from the Japanese manufacturer.
Honda - there's a lot of energy and projects on the way now that perhaps are in their early stages of development, but we see a lot of promise from those, Newey stated.
Too early to comment on exactly where the PU will be at the start of the season and whether then, assuming it's allowed under the PUAC [Power Unit Advisory Committee], there will be further development for what will be race eight at the end of the first period.
Honda's Historical Context
Honda's current difficulties echo their turbocharged hybrid era partnership with McLaren spanning 2015 to 2017, during which the engine manufacturer never achieved competitive performance. Following their separation at the end of 2017, Honda supplied Toro Rosso—now Racing Bulls—from 2018 and subsequently partnered with Red Bull from 2019.
In their opening season with Red Bull, Honda secured a podium finish in the season-opener and Max Verstappen claimed three victories. Newey reflected on the comparison between Honda's current trajectory and their earlier Red Bull partnership.
At the moment, in all truth, Honda are a little bit behind where Red Bull, as the works team, Red Bull, picked up Honda in 2019. But that obviously was four seasons after they first came back in 2015. So, this is the first year back in.
They are a great company. I have every confidence that they will accelerate quickly and understand the problems of these particular PU regulations.
What Happens Next
Formula 1 continues its Americas triple-header with the Mexico City Grand Prix scheduled for October 30–November 1, 2026, live on Sky Sports F1. The race will provide Honda and Aston Martin with another opportunity to demonstrate progress as the season reaches its latter stages.
