Verstappen hears positive "going according to plan" engine news from Ford

Next season, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls will compete with Red Bull Ford engines, marking a special milestone in the Milton Keynes-based team’s history.

Previously, team principal Laurent Mekies described this new challenge as one of the "craziest decisions one can take" and "probably one only Red Bull can make."

Looking ahead, Ford's Rushbrook was positive about their progress made so far. Speaking to Motorsport.com, he explained: "Things are going according to plan and we are where we need to be, but of course it doesn’t really all come together until the car is on the track."

The first pre-season tests will take place in less than a month at the Barcelona circuit, which is scheduled for 26-30 January.

He added that it is always a nervous moment when the new car or engine does its first miles. "That will be an important day and an important week. Only then will we see if all the work of the past three years pays off."

The manufacturers focused on several key aspects during development. "It’s about power, performance, reliability and then drivability."

Rushbrook then underlined that they have managed to complete their goals and explained their refined targets.

He added: "In terms of the timeline and the goals we set at the beginning of our program, we met them. In the last few months, the work has mostly gone into drivability and calibration.

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