F1 rival praises Red Bull's 'brilliant' in-house power unit debut

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has highlighted the impressive early reliability of Red Bull Powertrains' all-new 2026 engine, calling the achievement of building a competitive power unit from scratch something that "cannot be underestimated." The new Red Bull-Ford collaboration completed nearly 180 laps across the first two days of a Barcelona shakedown, signaling a strong start for the new project.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's successful transition to a fully in-house power unit supplier represents a massive technical and logistical undertaking, fundamentally altering the team's long-term independence and competitiveness. For a rival team principal to openly commend the effort underscores its significance within the paddock and suggests Red Bull has navigated a major hurdle that has tripped up other manufacturers in the past.

The details:

• James Vowles confirmed Williams has personnel on the ground in Barcelona monitoring the test, despite not running a car themselves.
• He praised the overall health of the championship's engine development, noting Mercedes also had a "very impressive" start, hitting its mileage targets reliably.
• Vowles specifically applauded Red Bull Powertrains: "Given they produced a power unit from scratch, that really cannot be underestimated. They did a brilliant job in the number of laps they completed."
• Ferrari received similar praise for its own smooth running during the initial sessions.

What's next:

The Barcelona running serves as a crucial systems check, but true performance indicators remain hidden. As Vowles noted, times from the Spanish shakedown are "largely irrelevant" for understanding the competitive order. The focus now shifts to the next test in Bahrain in two weeks, where all teams including Williams are scheduled to be present and where the 2026 cars will begin to show their genuine potential.