Red Bull Ford engine draws interest from rivals, but Mekies rules out a new customer for now

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the power unit his team builds with Ford has attracted "attention from a lot of teams" this season, but that Red Bull is not in serious talks to supply anyone beyond its sister team, Sky Sports reports.

What Mekies said

Asked whether the engine could go to another team, Mekies told Sky Sports: "Are we having any serious conversations with anyone to supply another team? No, we don't think we are ready for that." He added that nothing was "set in stone for the next five years," but was clear about the near term: "Nothing will change over the next year or so."

His reasoning is workload. Mekies said there is "plenty of work to do" to improve the unit and its integration into the car before Red Bull could consider supplying a team alongside Racing Bulls.

Why rivals are paying attention

2026 is the first season Red Bull has built its own power unit, in collaboration with Ford, and Sky Sports notes that very few people expected it to be competitive straight away. Sky also reports that the FIA judged Red Bull to have the strongest engine earlier this year, a contentious call because Mercedes was granted an upgrade after being found more than two percent behind on combustion engine performance.

Results back that up. Red Bull Racing is third in the constructors' standings on 355 points, level with McLaren, and Racing Bulls is fifth on 102. Max Verstappen finished third in Austin and sits fourth in the drivers' table, as our standings after Austin show.

The Aston Martin angle

Sky Sports says there have been rumours that Aston Martin is looking at its future with Honda, including the possibility of a Red Bull Ford supply. Mekies did not name any team. Aston Martin has scored seven points this season and is tenth of eleven teams, according to Sky, which contrasts its Honda engine's performance with Red Bull's.

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey told Sky that Honda's deficit is "fairly clear" but that he sees "a lot of promise" in projects now in their early stages. He drew a comparison with 2019, when Red Bull picked up Honda engines four seasons after the Japanese company returned to the sport.

Why it matters for US fans

Ford's involvement means an American manufacturer is part of one of the strongest engine programs on the grid this season, in the same year Cadillac arrived as a full team. For now, Mekies says the focus stays on two teams: "We think it's better to concentrate on Red Bull and Racing Bulls."

What to watch in Mexico City

The thin air at roughly 2,240 meters reduces downforce and cooling and puts extra strain on hybrid systems, Grande Prêmio notes, which makes it a stern test for all five engine makers. Grande Prêmio adds that there is no verified basis to name a clear winner before running starts. Our Mexico City preview covers the rest of the weekend, with start times in the US race times guide.