Can Red Bull take on Mercedes and rivals with their new in-house engine? Marko answers!

Next year, the new regulations will come into play, and many teams will have different brand of engines in their cars compared to the current season.

Red Bull are for example developing an in-house engine for the 2026 season, in collaboration with Ford.

Because of the aforementioned reasons, the grid order could be completely different in the 2026 campaign. Especially Mercedes seem to be positive about their next power units, something Marko also noticed.

"Mercedes have declared themselves the favorite, but there's no proof of that. Just the development of the combustion engine is impressive. The engine is smaller than the one in my lawnmower! There are three or four key elements for the new car: the combustion engine – we're fully involved there, and unless reliability issues arise, it won't be a deciding factor," he began to Kleine Zeitung.

"The battery is crucial; we're starting with a conventional solution. And gasoline is a very important factor. The development in that area is going excellently, in collaboration with our partner Exxon," the Austrian top advisor continued.

Red Bull Powertrains are partnering up with Ford for the 2026 season, while their previous provided, Honda, will create power units for Aston Martin.

This adventure is not without its risks, team principal Christian Horner also previously acknowledged. "As Dietrich always said: No risk, no fun. Given the size of our team and how competitive we are... We cannot be dependent on external suppliers who may withdraw or change their mind at any moment," the Briton said.