Red Bull “would be naive” to believe its brand-new Formula 1 power unit will start life at the front in 2026, admits team principal Laurent Mekies, who expects a demanding early period as the project hits the track for the first time.

From the 2026 season, Red Bull will compete with its first in-house power units produced by Red Bull Powertrains at Milton Keynes, developed with technical support from Ford. The engines will supply both Red Bull Racing and the sister Racing Bulls team.

Mekies says that taking on established manufacturers such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and new entrant Audi was always going to bring risk alongside opportunity.

“It would be naive to think that we are going to land it on the top spot straight away there. So, we know we are going to have a few very, very tough months. Many sleepless nights, a few headaches, but it's also part of the privilege to be associated with these sort of challenges,” the Red Bull boss said, as quoted by Autosport.

Red Bull turned to its own engine program after Honda initially planned to leave Formula 1. The later collapse of talks with Porsche ensured the team fully committed to becoming a standalone manufacturer – a bold decision Mekies describes as typical of Red Bull’s ambition.

“We’ve said it many times now: the decision to do your own power unit, in that case for us with the support of Ford, is the craziest decision one can take. It was probably a call that only Red Bull can make,” he added.

With new power unit rules aimed at balancing performance and offering extra development support to manufacturers who fall behind, Mekies believes Red Bull’s long-term potential remains very strong, but he is clear that the beginning of the journey will not be easy.