Red Bull Powertrains

Last updated

Red Bull Powertrains
Founded16 February 2021;3 years ago (16 February 2021) [1] [2]
Founders Helmut Marko
Christian Horner [3]
Headquarters Milton Keynes, England
Key people
Christian Horner
Ben Hodgkinson  [ ja ]
Website redbullpowertrains.com
Red Bull Powertrains as a Formula One engine manufacturer
Formula One World Championship career
First entry 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Races entered22 (22 starts)
Chassis Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri
Constructors' Championships 1 (2022)
Drivers'
Championships
1 (2022)
Race victories17
Podiums28
Points794
Pole positions 8
Fastest laps 8

Red Bull Powertrains, abbreviated as RBPT, is a Formula One power unit manufacturing company owned by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH and based in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in 2021 to take over the operation of Formula One power units developed by Honda from 2022 onwards following the Japanese manufacturer's withdrawal from the sport after 2021. Honda continued to support the Red Bull-owned teams in 2022 and will do so until the end of 2025. [4] [5] [6] Honda assembles the power units and provides trackside and race operation support. The power units remain Honda's intellectual property, and due to a development freeze, Red Bull Powertrains will not develop them. [7] [8]

Contents

Red Bull Powertrains will take full responsibility for engine supply and operations from 2026, when the company will be renamed to Red Bull Ford Powertrains, following a partnership with Ford Motor Company. [9] [10] [11] Red Bull Powertrains operates in a 5,000-square-foot facility near to the Red Bull Racing chassis department in Milton Keynes. [12]

History

In February 2021, Red Bull Advanced Technologies signed an exclusive distribution agreement for Formula One engines with Honda to start in the 2022 season, after the Japanese automaker left Formula One at the end of the 2021 season. [13] The engines will be purchased and renamed Red Bull Powertrains, and supplied to its two teams currently competing in Formula One, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, starting in 2022. [14]

On 23 April 2021 Red Bull Powertrains announced the hiring of Ben Hodgkinson  [ ja ] as technical director. [15] [16] Hodgkinson had been head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains since 2017, and had worked at the Brixworth factory for 20 years. [17] [18] On 6 May 2021, Red Bull Racing announced the hiring of five more senior Mercedes engine employees: Steve Blewett (who will be the production director of the Red Bull power unit), Omid Mostaghimi (chief engine, electronics and energy recovery), Pip Clode (head of mechanical design for energy recovery), Anton Mayo (head of combustion power unit design) and Steve Brodie (leader of combustion engine operations). [19] [20] On 2 October 2022, Honda announced the extension of their technical support to Red Bull Racing until 2025. Honda's agreement with Red Bull Racing does not involve power unit development. [4] Honda's logo will also appear on Red Bull Racing's and AlphaTauri's car from the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix onwards. [21]

On 3 February 2023, Red Bull Racing and Ford Motor Company announced a strategic partnership that will see Ford return to Formula One in 2026 following new engine regulations. Ford will provide "expertise in areas including battery cell and electric motor technology as well as power unit control software and analytics" and "combustion engine development," and the company will be renamed to "Red Bull Ford Powertrains." [9] [22] [23]

RBPTH001

The RBPTH001 was, despite its name, developed, produced, and maintained by Honda. It was a derivative of the Honda RA621H, with different ignition timing, cylinder pressure, and MGU-H to account for the new E10 fuels. The crankshaft and cylinder block geometry were also modified to ensure reliability when running on E10 fuels, and a specialised coating developed by Honda's motorcycle division was applied to the walls of the cylinders. The injection system, exhaust, and the turbocharger's compressor and turbine were all optimised for E10 fuel. The changes meant that the RBPTH001 weighed more than the RA621H, but the dimensions of the engines are virtually identical save for the exhaust and intake layout and the electrical components. The new engine could also run at noticeably higher temperatures compared to the RA621H. Despite the reduced energy density of the 2022 fuels, the RBPTH001 had greater thermal efficiency than its predecessor. [7]

Formula One engine results

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngineDrivers12345678910111213141516171819202122 Points WCC
2022 BHR SAU AUS EMI MIA ESP MON AZE CAN GBR AUT FRA HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN USA MXC SAP ABU
Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 RBPTH001 1.6 V6 t Flag of Mexico.svg Sergio Pérez 18†4P22342F12FRet2Ret545256F12437537591st
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen 19†1Ret1P 1 F1F1311P72P 1 F111F1PF171P11P641P
Scuderia AlphaTauri AT03 Flag of France.svg Pierre Gasly Ret8912Ret1311514Ret1512129118101814111414359th
Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Tsunoda 8DNS15712101713Ret1416Ret1913Ret14Ret1310Ret1711
Source: [24]
Notes

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References

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