Ford admit 'nervousness’ ahead of first Red Bull engine test

A representative for Red Bull's new technical partner, Ford, has admitted there is an element of 'nervousness’ at the American motor company ahead of their F1 return.

This month's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the end of the current set of F1 regulations but also, the partnership between Red Bull and Honda.

The Japanese automotive brand have departed the energy drink giants and will instead be exclusively providing Aston Martin with their engines for 2026.

When Honda initially announced their exit from the sport after the 2021 season, Red Bull managed to strike a deal to keep using their engines until an alternative solution was found, which led to the creation of Red Bull Powertrains.

For 2026 and beyond, the Milton Keynes squad will accept help from Ford in a technical partnership, but with new regulations also sweeping into the sport next year, there is much suspense over how competitive Red Bull will be.

Ford provide F1 update ahead of pre-season testing

The first test for Red Bull and Ford will be be the pre-season tests in Barcelona, where 2026 driver duo Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will get to give feedback on the new machinery, behind closed doors.

With less than a month to go until the cars take to the track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first time, Ford performance director Mark Rushbrook has provided an update on their progress.

Asked whether Ford feels any nerves ahead of the tests taking place between January 26 and January 30, Rushbrook told Motorsport.com: “There's always some level of nervousness or anticipation anytime there's a new car or engine on track.

"Our computer tools are great for designing; our labs are great for evaluating and developing the hardware, and the calibration that goes with it, so we can simulate a lot in those environments.

"But until you get it all together on an actual racetrack, you haven't seen everything. And it's a question of what are you going to see on track that you didn't see in the lab.”

Rushbrook also maintained that Red Bull's goals have already been met, but given the secrecy surrounding the benchmarks that Ferrari, Honda and Mercedes have set, no one knows where they will finish in the pecking order by the time the new season rolls around in March.

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