Red Bull Ford Powertrains boss, Ben Hodgkinson, reflects on first pole and win for the DM01

When Honda decided to leave Formula 1 in 2021, Red Bull Racing, with Christian Horner at the helm, took the decision to become an independent power unit manufacturer and started their Powertrains division, which they strengthened later on with a partnership with Ford in 2023.

The Red Bull power unit division went on a hiring spree, with Ben Hodgkinson hired to lead the program from Mercedes in 2022.

And the project has delivered, as the DM01 proved to be reliable from day one despite it being the first effort from the people over at Red Bull Ford Powertrains, with the internal combustion engine being the best on the Formula 1 grid according to the FIA's assessment, despite Mercedes' power unit being the benchmark overall.

Then came the breakthrough at Sepang when Verstappen took pole propelled by the DM01 that also powered the Dutchman to victory in the Grand Prix through the trickiest of conditions.

"We've won a race. One out of 16," Hodgkinson reflected when speaking to Reuters in the aftermath of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. "I think 'expectation' is a dangerous word for any engineer in Formula 1.

"As soon as you start underestimating the competition is when you start losing. The whole project was constructed with the belief that this was possible. So I believed. I didn't expect."

However, the former Mercedes engine man admitted he had his doubts on the way at some points; he revealed: "There's been lots of moments along the way where things didn't feel like they were going very well. And to finally pull it all together to get that win was a very special moment indeed.

"So many people didn't think that we would be in this position," he pointed out. "Other teams, members of the press, probably even members of our own family thought that we're taking on something pretty extreme.

"But the collective mindset and something that I've found really unique about Red Bull is the willingness to take on the bold, audacious projects and just prove everybody wrong."

Red Bull was just an energy drinks company that bought a Formula 1 team, Jaguar, and then took on the mightiest outfits of the sport and won, having done things differently, and Hodgkinson believes the engine project was another example of how the team operates.

He said: "There's something about this project that was a very Red Bull thing to do. You know, the 'Just a fizzy drink company' daring to take on power unit manufacturer as well as chassis.

"It is something I think probably only somebody like Red Bull would take on. And it was done with the ambition of wanting to achieve something great right from the very beginning."

Commenting on the best engine status bestowed on them by the FIA and whether that was actually the case, Hodgkinson said: "I think getting too hung up on the best engine is something that the regulations almost force you to do, but it's really about your overall pace.

"Sometimes you can make decisions on engines which actually would reduce their performance but overall make the car go quicker.

"So we measure ourselves on our on-track performance. I'm super-proud of what we've done. That's all it is," Hodgkinson concluded.

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