How Christian Horner mocked Mercedes during private tour of Red Bull Powertrains facility

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The rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes is one of the strongest in Formula 1. That’s natural given the status of both teams within the sport, but it’s relatively rare that they’ve been at the same level on track.

When Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010, the Bulls’ era of dominance with Sebastian Vettel was just beginning. They won a ‘quadruple double’ in that period – four drivers’ titles, four constructors’ titles – while the Silver Arrows collected just four race wins.

But from 2014 onwards, the German giants took over. They were untouchable until the end of the decade, with Ferrari (2017 and 2018) the only team who really came close to halting that run.

The events of 2021 would then truly ignite their rivalry with Red Bull. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton engaged in one of the most thrilling but also one of the most acrimonious title battles in F1 history, culminating in a bitterly controversial finale in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen won out at Yas Marina, and the ensuing ground effect era has unquestionably belonged to him. Up until recently, Mercedes have floundered.

With around 18 months of the ruleset left, however, Toto Wolff’s squad appear to have made a breakthrough with their concept. It’s enabled them to win three of the last four Grands Prix – their best run since 2021 and one that may reignite the tension with Red Bull.

Christian Horner asked how many Red Bull staff had arrived from Mercedes

From 2026 onwards, Red Bull will build their own power units in partnership with Ford. This comes after Honda decided to leave Formula 1, only to then sign a deal with Aston Martin instead.

Ahead of the British Grand Prix last month, members of the media were invited to tour the Red Bull Powertrains facility in Milton Keynes. Among them was Motorsport Netherlands’ Ronald Vording.

According to Vording, Christian Horner asked his staff in each department ‘with a wink’ how many of them had ‘come over from Mercedes’. He claims that the team have poached in excess of 220 employees from Brixworth.

Teams have already begun working on their 2026 power units, which represent a fresh challenge. The aim is to triple the electrical power output, leading to a 50/50 split with the ICE.

How Max Verstappen privately feels about Red Bull engine project

Horner has been involved in a war of words with counterpart Wolff this year over the future of Verstappen. Mercedes have been courting the Dutchman ahead of Hamilton’s departure.

Karun Chandhok says Wolff embarrassed Horner by holding visible talks with Max’s father Jos Verstappen at the season-opening Bahrain GP. For all his efforts, there appears to be little to no prospect of the 26-year-old moving imminently.

However, that could be different in 12 months’ time. Verstappen has negotiated an exit clause ahead of 2026 as he looks to sustain his dominance after the regulation changes.

This is where the RBPT project could be key. Like his father, Verstappen is concerned Red Bull won’t match Mercedes, leaving them on the back foot as they were in 2014.