Red Bull recruits Ben Hodgkinson to develop future in-house Power Unit

You could call it a war catch. Red Bull powertrains, an entity created internally by Red Bull to develop the future Power Unit for 2025 for the F1, announced the arrival in its ranks of Ben hodgkinson, thinking head of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in recent years.

Passed through the WRC then Ilmor (now Mercedes-AMG HPP), Ben Hodgkinson will become the technical director of Red Bull Powertrains, whose premises are currently under construction in Milton Keynes.

“It was not easy to make the decision to leave HPP after almost 20 years, but the opportunity to embark on a project of such scale and importance is a great honor, indicates the new recruit.

Red Bull is a major player in Formula 1 and has been our biggest rival in the hybrid era. So I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in this new phase of the company’s development. »

Hodgkinson will work closely with the Milton Keynes chassis department to provide the best possible integration for the red bull brand's future powertrain.

“When Red Bull announced the creation of Red Bull Powertrains, it also heralded a new phase for the company in Formula 1: bringing all aspects of automotive design in-house and having our destiny in our hands, specifies Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing.

The ultimate expression of this desire is the development of a Red Bull powertrain to meet the next generation of Formula 1 engine regulations. (from 2025, Editor’s note). Ben’s appointment highlights our long-term ambition and we will support him and his team with all available resources needed to succeed. »

Until then, and with the freezing of specific regulations, Red Bull will still count on the Honda Power Unit, which gives full satisfaction to the British troops, with the recent victory of Max Verstappen in Imola last weekend.