Christian Horner has disclosed that Red Bull's shareholders and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff personally called him to offer their gratitude after Red Bull Powertrains secured its maiden grand prix victory in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The milestone triumph was delivered by Max Verstappen, who drove to a dominant victory in Malaysia. The historic result marks the first ever win for the in-house Red Bull Ford Powertrains power unit on just its 16th attempt since the brand-new engine debuted earlier this year.
The power unit division was established completely from scratch back in 2021 after Honda announced its departure from Formula 1. This unexpected exit forced Red Bull to rapidly build an advanced engine manufacturing and machining capability that the organization had never possessed in its history. Speaking at a motorsport business exchange event, the former team principal reflected on the monumental scale of the project launched five years ago.
"We managed to do it on the chassis side and then the challenge came, could we do it on the engine side? You know, we needed to have an engine after Honda announced their withdrawal in 2020. So we created this start-up company, Red Bull Powertrains, with the same philosophy of attracting the talent, giving people a chance, giving people the opportunity, and then empowering them and encouraging them to push the boundaries," Horner explained regarding the creation of the facility.
He added that he felt extremely proud to witness how the power unit has developed and delivered competitive performances throughout the current campaign. Horner, who departed his role as team principal roughly 15 months prior to this milestone victory, noted that the reaction from the very top of the corporate organization stood in stark, memorable contrast to the telephone conversation he received when he stepped down from his post.
"It was an appreciated gesture, seeing that engine and knowing what went into it, you know, the sweat and tears along the way. For all the men and women involved, it was an incredible, incredible achievement. And their 16th attempt to win a grand prix, which is very hard at the best of times. I was very grateful to both the shareholders who raided out, and Oliver Mintzlaff who reached out to thank me as well. It was quite a different call than I had from him 15 months earlier," Horner concluded.
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