Mercedes heavyweight to design Red Bull engines

Ben Hodgkinson was head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains since 2017, after working at the German manufacturer’s headquarters in Brixworth for 20 years. He is now heading to the Red Bull team, based in Milton Keynes, which is currently stepping up its efforts as it prepares to take over the Honda engines at the end of the season.

However, Hodgkinson must complete his current contractual terms before being authorized to join the Austrian team. This explains why no date has been set for his transition between the two teams.

The director of the Red Bull team and CEO of the powertrain groups, Christian Horner, stated that the signing of Ben Hodgkinson within the Red Bull team was a masterstroke for the company, launched in an ambitious engine program. He declared: « We are thrilled to welcome Ben to Red Bull Powertrains as technical director. He is involved in this extremely exciting project as a proven race winner and as an innovator capable of leading a team of highly skilled engineers with similar ideas.”

« When Red Bull announced the creation of Red Bull Powertrains, it also announced a new phase of the company’s ambition in F1 – bringing every aspect of car design in-house and putting our destiny in our own hands.

The ultimate expression of this will is the development of a Red Bull power unit to meet the next generation of Formula 1 engine regulations. The appointment of Ben is a sign of our long-term intention and we will support him and his team with all the necessary available resources to succeed.

« He is involved in this extremely exciting project as a proven race winner »

For Ben Hodgkinson, this remains a painful goodbye to Mercedes after so many years of loyal service. However, it is a page that turns to open up to a brand new project, a new challenge for Hodgkinson.

« I am extremely excited to join Red Bull Powertrains as Technical Director,” he said. « It wasn’t easy to make the decision to leave HPP after almost 20 years, but the opportunity to take on such a vast and important project is a great honor. Red Bull is a serious player in F1 and has been our biggest rival in the hybrid era, so I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in this new phase of the company’s journey.

« I am extremely excited about joining Red Bull Powertrains »

Red Bull’s project is gradually taking shape. They have started the construction of a new state-of-the-art factory in Milton Keynes in England, the historic birthplace of their team, for their new engine division. Christian Horner had expressed earlier this week his desire to surround himself with the best possible staff for his new project, requiring the highest expertise possible.

« We are going to apply exactly the same philosophy that we applied to the chassis side,” Horner told Autosport. « So the intention, just as I did with the chassis, is to ensure that we attract the best talents.”

The Red Bull project at the engine level is colossal. Red Bull, which, let’s remember, originally sells energy drinks, is starting their project to create their own Formula 1 engine. It is a very nice challenge that Christian Horner and his team intend to take up, and they seem to be equipping themselves in the best possible way to achieve their goals.