Whole Red Bull F1 car to be built in Milton Keynes by 2026

By James Burridge & Pete Cooper

BBC News, East

The team principal of the Red Bull Formula 1 team Christian Horner said the whole of the car would be built in Milton Keynes by 2026.

At the moment only the chassis is built at the factory, with its engines produced by Honda.

The Japanese company officially pulled out of F1 last year, but agreed to continue to supply engines and engineering support until 2025.

Horner said: “We’re bringing the whole car here on site at Milton Keynes.”

The team have been based in the city, with Horner in charge, since it was formed in 2005.

Once the engines are built in Milton Keynes it will “be the only team other than Ferrari in Maranello [Italy] that has engine and chassis all produced on one site”, he said.

The 49-year-old said: “We’ll have engine designers and chassis designers sitting side-by-side, so absolute vertical integration of those disciplines.

“I think for Milton Keynes, for the UK, to have that based here, is testimony to the skill set that is in the area and the talent we’re able to attract.”

‘I love this place’

The plan is for the engine to be built on-site by 2026, which Horner said “in engine terms it is tomorrow”.

He said: “We’ve got 36-and-a-half months to produce an all-new engine and take on Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Audi that’ll be coming into the sport.

“So it’s a huge challenge for us, but I think with the right people, with the right tools, with the right culture and approach, we can hopefully produce similar to what we have with the chassis.”

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his second World Championship last month, with the team securing the Constructors’ Championship.

The team held a celebration for staff at the factory on Friday and will also have an event for fans in the centre of Milton Keynes.

Verstappen said of the factory in the city, “I love this place”.

“I’ve been part of Red Bull for quite a while. Every year you see new faces, but also old faces that you have been working with for a long time,” the 25-year-old said.