Max Verstappen just drove the Red Bull Ford Powertrains machine to victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, securing the first win for a Ford-badged power unit in Formula 1 since way back in 2003. This isn’t just any win, either. It happened in just 16 races, absolutely blowing past all those voices insisting it would take years to design a brand-new F1 engine from scratch and get it competitive. Seriously, 16 races, folks. That’s wild.
From Skepticism to Sepang Glory
Remember all the chatter when Red Bull and Ford teamed up in 2023? After a deal with Porsche fell through, these two giants decided to build their own internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and high-voltage hybrid system at the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes. People were talking years, maybe even a decade, before this thing would be a real threat. But here we are, watching Verstappen seal the deal at the Sepang International Circuit, making it the 177th win for an engine associated with Ford, if you count the Cosworth era. This isn’t just a win, it is a statement.
Engineering Genius and Rival Shutdowns
This isn’t just about a fast car. This is about pure engineering brilliance. Ford Racing engineers worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Ben Hodgkinson and the Red Bull Powertrains crew, digging deep into hardware and control software. Ford brought its A-game to the high-voltage propulsion systems, internal combustion manufacturing, turbo machinery design, Energy Recovery System (ERS) integration, and engine management code. Mark Rushbrook, the Global Director of Ford Racing, wasn’t holding back either, saying “Ford Racing has worked hand in hand with Ben Hodgkinson and his team of engineers at Red Bull Ford Powertrains from the early stages of testing, through to the power unit that we see on track today.” He’s hyped, and he should be! The DM01 power unit was even named the most powerful internal combustion engine by F1’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities ranking system.
The proof isn’t just in Verstappen’s win, though. All four cars running the Red Bull Ford DM01 power unit crossed the finish line in the points! Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Isack Hadjar snagged fifth place, while the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls drivers, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, finished seventh and tenth. That kind of team-wide performance screams raw speed AND thermal reliability, especially on a day with changing temperatures and torrential rain. While the Red Bull Ford engines were crushing it, rivals like Ferrari had cars shut down on the formation lap, needing a full reset, and Mercedes suffered a power unit failure late in the race. This win isn’t an anomaly, it’s a massive validation.
With the DM01 proving itself reliable and powerful in the toughest conditions and against the top competition, the future of the Red Bull Ford partnership looks incredibly bright. This win isn’t just a trophy. It is a sign that this engine, built from the ground up, is absolutely for real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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