Alpine's Nielsen praises Red Bull's rapid PU development, admits F1 teams are 'shameless plagiarists'

Alpine's managing director Steve Nielsen has hailed Red Bull's "amazing job" in developing a competitive power unit from scratch in just four years, while openly admitting that all Formula 1 teams are "shameless plagiarists" who will copy any successful idea from a rival.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's transition to a full works team with its own power unit is one of the most ambitious engineering projects in recent F1 history. Its apparent early competitiveness validates that risk and immediately reshapes the power unit supplier hierarchy. Nielsen's candid admission about the copycat culture within the paddock underscores the relentless and often imitative pursuit of performance that defines the sport's development race.

The details:

• Red Bull's new Red Bull Powertrains division, established after Honda's initial withdrawal, has built a competitive power unit in approximately four years, progressing from "a hole in the ground in Milton Keynes" to a front-running component.
• The unit, developed in partnership with Ford, impressed during pre-season testing with strong energy management and deployment, particularly in the hands of Max Verstappen.
• Alpine, conversely, is beginning its first season as a customer team, having abandoned its works status to use Mercedes power units and gearboxes.
• Nielsen stated the universal philosophy among teams: "We'll look at anything anybody else can do on the track, off the track, and if we like it, we'll steal it." This includes analyzing rivals' cornering speeds and energy deployment strategies.
• The competitive order appears fluid, with Mercedes (aided by a compression ratio innovation for itself and its customers) as the pre-test favorite, Ferrari close due to a turbo advantage, and Red Bull having surprisingly matched that pace.

What's next:

The true pecking order will be revealed at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. All eyes will be on whether Red Bull's testing form translates into race-winning performance, validating its massive investment. Meanwhile, Alpine and other teams will immediately begin the process Nielsen described—scrutinizing the front-runners' solutions and determining what concepts can be adapted or improved upon for their own cars in the relentless development battle that defines the F1 season.