« Hats Off to Them »: Zak Brown Salutes Red Bull Ford Engine Surprise
McLaren CEO admits being reluctantly impressed by rival’s reliability and pace at Barcelona shakedown as new power unit exceeds expectations
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has paid tribute to Red Bull Powertrains’ remarkable debut, admitting the new Ford-partnered engine was one of the biggest surprises of the Barcelona pre-season shakedown .
The American executive, whose team enters 2026 as defending Constructors’ Champions, offered grudging respect to a rival power unit that completed significant mileage while demonstrating competitive performance straight out of the box.
Reluctant Respect
« The Red Bull-Ford engine seems very, very strong, so hats off to them, » Brown stated when reflecting on the closed-doors Barcelona test held from January 26-30. « Not only did it seem to be very quick, but also very reliable » .
The praise carried an undercurrent of competitive concern. Brown acknowledged the Milton Keynes squad’s achievement with characteristic candor: « I’d rather not be as impressed with what they’ve done, because they came out, logged a lot of miles, and they seem to be very competitive » .
Mileage and Maturity
The statistics supported Brown’s assessment. Across the five-day test, Red Bull Powertrains accumulated 622 laps — third among all engine manufacturers — split between the works Red Bull RB22 and sister team Racing Bulls’ VCARB 03 .
This represented a remarkable debut for a completely fresh power unit architecture, developed in-house by Red Bull after years of relying on Renault and then Honda supply. The Ford partnership marks the American manufacturer’s return to F1 as a named power unit supplier .
« The reliability in general seemed to be very strong for very sophisticated, new, immature regulations that will develop over time, » Brown noted. « The amount of running everyone got in was impressive » .
The Big Four Intact
Despite his praise for Red Bull’s engine program, Brown maintains that the competitive hierarchy at the front of the grid remains stable heading into the new regulatory era.
« It looks like the big four are the big four. Hard to know yet in what order, » he assessed, referencing McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull . « If you went to Vegas today, I think Mercedes looks like the favourite sitting here right now, but there’s a long way to go » .
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has echoed this sentiment, identifying Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull as the three power unit suppliers who « have all got off to a good start » .
Grid Spread Expected
Brown anticipates the 2026 regulation changes — featuring smaller, lighter cars with active aerodynamics and 50/50 electric-combustion power units — will initially increase performance gaps across the field.
« I think the grid will be more spread out, which is to be expected in a new formula for a little bit, » he predicted. « Last year in Abu Dhabi, I think a second covered the entire field. I would anticipate it being two or three seconds covers the entire field, but that’s normal » .
The McLaren boss also highlighted concerns about energy deployment management under the new rules, noting that drivers were forced into « lift and coast » techniques when batteries depleted before the end of straights. « I still think there’s some work to be done with the FIA to refine the rules, » he suggested .
Bahrain Looms
With official pre-season testing scheduled for Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20, teams will soon gain a clearer picture of the competitive landscape. For Red Bull, Brown’s praise validates the massive investment in their power unit program — even if the McLaren CEO would prefer his rivals had encountered more teething troubles.
As the grid prepares for the Australian Grand Prix on March 8, the « very, very strong » showing from Red Bull Ford suggests Milton Keynes may have narrowed the power deficit that plagued their 2025 campaign, setting up a potentially fierce four-way battle at the front.
Sources
- The Race: « McLaren: Red Bull engine one of biggest F1 2026 surprises so far » (February 10, 2026)
- GPBlog: « McLaren surprised by Red Bull engine » (February 10, 2026)
- GPBlog: « ‘The Red Bull engine was very strong, everyone was pleasantly surprised' » (February 9, 2026)
- PlanetF1: « What Zak Brown said about Red Bull engine and deployment concerns » (February 8, 2026)
- Crash.net: « The two things that surprised McLaren the most in first F1 2026 test » (February 10, 2026)
- F1 Oversteer: « McLaren CEO Zak Brown wishes he did not see what Red Bull did at the Barcelona shakedown test » (February 8, 2026)