Bad news for Red Bull: Probably no new engine suppliers before 2026

Before the unveiling of the new generation Formula 1 engine in 2026, potential new suppliers will not dare to enter F1. Or at least, so McLaren-CEO Zak Brown predicts.

In an interview with Peter Windsor, Brown explains why he thinks new players will stay away from Formula 1 for the next five years. “The reality is with current engine rules i don’t see someone new coming in before the new engine [in 2026]”, says Brown. “Until we’ve got a lot less expensive engines i don’t see how it is commercially viable” for new players to get into the F1 arena.

This is bad news for Red Bull. The team of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are facing a tough choice after Honda's departure, and will almost certainly have to pull the purse strings to keep up with the top teams for the next five years. Brown just doubts whether the team will be willing to take on that challenge: “I don’t think they got the appetite to spend what it takes to continue with the development war over the next 5 years.”

No disaster for F1 as a whole

In general, Brown does not see having three engine suppliers as an obstacle to the whole sport. “We can go along just fine with 3 manufacturers”, he says. “Fortunately the 3 are very committed.”