Marko ‘playing a game’ when bragging about Red Bull’s 2026 F1 engine

F1 will introduce entirely new engines for 2026 as part of their revised technical regulations.

Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda will continue to supply engines in 2026, while Audi will develop their own power unit when they join the grid, taking over the Sauber team.

For the first time in their history, Red Bull will develop their own engines through Red Bull Powertrains, backed by manufacturer Ford.

Recently, Marko revealed that he thought Red Bull (and Mercedes) were a step ahead of Ferrari and Audi with their engine development.

He said: “In August, we are still running a complete combustion engine with MGU-K and battery. There we are miles ahead of Audi, we are miles ahead of Ferrari, and Mercedes is about the same.”

Vasseur refuted Marko’s comments, describing them as “a game”.

• Max Verstappen domination to continue? Red Bull's 2026 F1 engine "miles ahead" of rivals 

“No. I think it’s a game,” he said. “It’s a game and I don’t want to make any comments on the [engine] situation of the others. We are pushing. 

“We are in a good situation. For sure, we always want to do more, to develop more, to be more advanced, to have more options and so on but it’s the same for everybody. Honestly, I would avoid making any comments on the situation of the other [teams]. It’s going well.”

Vasseur is confident Ferrari are on track with their 2026 development.

“For sure we want to do more, but as everybody on the grid, it’s the mindset of the F1 team that if you give to the guys something, they want to have more,” Vasseur added. 

“This mindset is very important. “But we are following the plan and we are a bit in advance on the plan. All okay on our side.”