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Red Bull Powertrains boss Ben Hodgkinson has set his sights on Mercedes after Max Verstappen secured third place in Canada, the first podium finish for a car powered by Red Bull's in-house engine. The result has injected confidence into a project that began the season behind the pace, and Hodgkinson is now openly targeting race wins in what he calls "a new era" of Formula 1. His team sits fourth in the constructors' championship, 162 points behind Mercedes, but the mood inside the Milton Keynes operation has shifted.
A milestone worth celebrating
Verstappen's podium in Montreal marked a symbolic breakthrough for Red Bull Powertrains Ford, which is competing in its debut season after years of development in partnership with Ford. Hodgkinson told the media in the team's Monaco preview that the achievement deserves recognition. "In Formula 1, it's all about winning, but this first podium with our own engine is absolutely worth celebrating as recognition for what we've achieved in such a short time," he said. "Red Bull Powertrains Ford is still a newcomer, and we're taking on some of the biggest names in the industry and motorsport."
Red Bull had hoped to be competitive from the outset, but early-season performance fell short of expectations. The Canadian result has changed the internal narrative. Hodgkinson stressed that the team is proud to be "already fighting directly with them at the front of the field," though he acknowledged the gap to the leaders remains significant. After five race weekends, Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar have combined for 57 championship points, while Mercedes leads the constructors' standings with 219 points courtesy of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Learning curve and capacity building
Hodgkinson framed the season as a development trajectory rather than a finished product. "We still have a long way to go and we know the gap to the front-runners is considerable, but we are learning quickly, building our capabilities further and pushing in the right areas," he said. Red Bull's decision to bring engine manufacturing in-house represents one of the boldest strategic moves in recent Formula 1 history, particularly given the technical and financial barriers to entry. The partnership with Ford has provided resources and expertise, but the operation remains young compared to established power unit manufacturers.
The shift from customer Honda engines to proprietary units was driven by a desire for full integration and control over performance development. Red Bull Powertrains was established in 2021, inheriting Honda's intellectual property and infrastructure before embarking on its own design path for the current regulatory cycle. The Canada podium validates the investment, but also highlights how far the team must travel to challenge Mercedes, which has dominated the early phase of the season.
Mercedes in the crosshairs
Hodgkinson made no attempt to conceal Red Bull's immediate target. "We're looking forward immensely to the upcoming races, where we want to continue this upward trajectory and hunt for our first win in this new era of Formula 1," he said. "It's an era in which new teams and new manufacturers have consciously chosen to enter this sport, compete and develop." The language reflects both ambition and realism. Red Bull is framing itself as part of a wave of investment and competition, but the focus remains fixed on Mercedes, the benchmark the team must meet.
Monaco represents a different challenge to Canada, with low-speed corners and limited overtaking opportunities favouring chassis performance over outright power. Red Bull will hope the circuit characteristics allow Verstappen to extract maximum performance from a package still searching for consistent pace. Whether the upward trend Hodgkinson referenced can continue depends on how quickly Red Bull Powertrains can close the performance deficit while Mercedes continues to refine a dominant package
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I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
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