Marko reveals who now leads Red Bull Powertrains project after Horner's dismissal

15:35, 01 Aug

Updated: 15:43, 01 Aug

byTim Kraaij

Helmut Marko has disclosed who is now in charge of the Red Bull Powertrains project. This had been in the hands of Christian Horner, but is now being led by someone else.

With Christian Horner's dismissal, Red Bull Racing not only lost its team manager and CEO, but also the head of the ambitious Red Bull Powertrains project which, together with Ford, needs to deliver its first in-house engine by 2026. That responsibility is not with Laurent Mekies, the new manager of Red Bull Racing.

There has been a restructuring at Red Bull. While Christian Horner had power over almost everything within Red Bull, Mekies as the team manager now fully focuses on the racing team. The engine project, that is being worked on diligently in Milton Keynes, is being led by someone else.

Christian Horner

Who leads the Red Bull engine project?

''Ben Hodgkinson – an excellent man'', Helmut Marko revealed to F1-insider. ''We are on schedule, but with the new parameters, it is difficult to say who is ahead.''

When asked about the crucial parts for the new power unit, Marko explained: ''Firstly, petrol – for the first time completely free of fossil CO₂. We work very well with Exxon and the values are very encouraging.''

''Secondly, the battery – currently the standard solution, but we are also developing our own, individual solution.''

''Thirdly, the combustion engine is in good hands with Ben Hodgkinson and we have the support of Ford, who work very closely with us in many areas and are very helpful to us. Fourthly, the software – bringing everything together is the big challenge.''

Who is Ben Hodgkinson?

Ben Hodgkinson has been employed at Red Bull Racing since 2022, where he was appointed as the technical director of Red Bull Powertrains. Before this, the Brit had various roles and was employed for no less than twenty years at the engine department of Mercedes. His last position there was Head of Mechanical Engineering.