Zak Brown Impressed by Red Bull-Ford Barcelona Start

Formula 1, Sportrik Media - McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted he was impressed by the early-season performance of Red Bull Racing following the Barcelona shakedown, particularly highlighting the debut of the new Red Bull-Ford power unit.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit introduced its DM01 power unit in Spain, developed in collaboration with Ford, marking a significant milestone under Formula 1’s new engine regulations. Despite some minor issues during the five-day running, the programme was widely regarded as successful, with 622 laps completed across Red Bull and sister team Racing Bulls.

The volume of mileage achieved under such complex new technical rules stood out to Brown, who acknowledged the strength and reliability shown by Red Bull at an early stage.

“I would say the Red Bull-Ford engine seems very, very strong — so hats off to them,” Brown said.

“Not only did it seem to be very quick, but also very reliable. And I would say the reliability in general seems to be very strong for very sophisticated new, immature regulations that will develop over time.”

The 2026 regulations represent one of the most significant shifts in recent Formula 1 history, particularly with the 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power. In that context, early reliability is considered a key performance differentiator.

Brown emphasised that the amount of running achieved across the grid was notable given the technical complexity involved.

“The amount of running everyone got in was impressive,” he added. “Those are the things that stood out — the Ford engine and the general reliability on what are very sophisticated new rules.”

McLaren enters the 2026 campaign aiming to defend its double championship success from last season. However, Brown was cautious about drawing conclusions from the Barcelona test alone.

“It’s very early days,” he said. “It’s very risky to judge after Spain.”

While expressing confidence in McLaren’s competitiveness, Brown noted that the top four teams appear closely matched at this stage of development.

“What I would say is we feel like we’ll be competitive. The top four teams all seem very competitive. It’s very early days, but indications are that we will be strong.”

He stressed that any predictions based solely on the initial shakedown would be premature, particularly with further testing scheduled before the opening race.

“It would be premature to make any predictions beyond an initial few days of testing. Obviously, things will start to become a little bit clearer over the next two weeks.”

Brown’s comments underline the strategic uncertainty surrounding the new regulatory era. While Red Bull-Ford’s early reliability has drawn attention, the true competitive hierarchy is unlikely to emerge until teams fully explore performance limits in race conditions.

As the season approaches, the development trajectory of the new power units — particularly in balancing performance and durability — will play a decisive role. For McLaren, maintaining its championship momentum will depend not only on outright pace, but also on how effectively it adapts to the evolving technical landscape.