Red Bull targeting 'Michelin meal' with new power unit ingredients

Red Bull Powertrains director Ben Hodgkinson has stated the engine department has all the ingredients to be successful in F1.

The team has constructed its own power unit for the season ahead, marking the first time in its history it has done so.

Hodgkinson is overseeing the project, having previously worked at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains.

With over two decades of experience building F1 engines, Hodgkinson asserted he knows the Red Bull Powertrains set-up has the makings of a successful organisation. 

“You never really know where you are,” Hodgkinson told media including RacingNews365.

“I've described it before to some of my team-mates that it's like a 400 metre race. And I use 400 metres, because a 400 metre race is basically like a sprint.

“So it feels like a sprint, but you're doing it in a stadium on your own, with no crowd, in a different country to all of your competitors. All I know is that we're running as fast as we possibly can.

“I've got a lot of experience in designing F1 engines, and I've been in it since the V10 days, so I know what a good company looks like.

“I've got the unique opportunity here to try and shape what the perfect power unit manufacturer needed to look like - and Red Bull have been very accommodating in terms of what facilities we've got.”

The Red Bull engine project has been in the works for several years, with the power unit making its on-track debut on Monday morning in Barcelona.

Hodgkinson praised the individuals involved in the programme as he looks to a 'Michelin meal' with the ingredients produced.

“I'm pretty confident with our facilities,” he said. “The people we've got are amazing. There's something really unique about a group of people who are part of a startup.

“They're almost like pioneers. The ownership and dedication I can see in every department is just incredible.

“We’ve got all the ingredients, but whether it will turn into a Michelin meal, we'll have to see, won't we? We've definitely got all the ingredients.

“I'm confident that we've built the right company and got the right people. But confidence is something that somebody who is about to lose will have, so you're not going to get more from me than that.”