In February 2021, Red Bull Advanced Technologies signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Honda to manage its Formula One power units from the 2022 season onwards. Under the arrangement, Red Bull would purchase units from Honda and rebadge them for supply to both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. Honda continued to assemble the power units, provide trackside support, and maintain technical oversight through the end of the 2025 season, with the intellectual property remaining Honda's property throughout. Because Formula One's engine development freeze was in place from September 2022, Red Bull Powertrains did not develop the units during this period.
The company assembled a technical leadership team rapidly. In April 2021, Ben Hodgkinson was appointed technical director; Hodgkinson had been head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains since 2017 and had spent twenty years at that facility in Brixworth. Five additional senior Mercedes engine personnel were announced in May 2021: Steve Blewett as production director, Omid Mostaghimi as chief engine, electronics, and energy recovery officer, Pip Clode as head of mechanical design for energy recovery, Anton Mayo as head of combustion power unit design, and Steve Brodie leading combustion engine operations.
In October 2022, Honda announced a re-strengthened partnership with Red Bull, committing to maintain full oversight of the engines through 2025. Honda's logo reappeared on Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri cars from the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix.
The RBPTH001 was developed, produced, and maintained entirely by Honda. Derived from the Honda RA621H, the unit incorporated changes to ignition timing, cylinder pressure, and the MGU-H to accommodate the new E10 fuel regulations from 2022. The crankshaft and cylinder block geometry were modified for E10 reliability, and a specialised cylinder-wall coating developed by Honda's motorcycle division was applied. The injection system, exhaust system, and turbocharger compressor and turbine were all optimised for the new fuel. Although the E10 fuel's lower energy density was a constraint, the RBPTH001 achieved greater thermal efficiency than the RA621H it replaced. The dimensions of the two units were virtually identical, with differences confined to the exhaust, intake layout, and electrical components.
A development of the same platform was fielded from 2023 under the RBPTH002 designation, with Honda continuing to provide full technical support.
On 4 February 2023, Red Bull Racing and the Ford Motor Company announced a strategic partnership for the new 2026 power unit regulations. Ford committed to providing expertise in battery cell technology, electric motor design, power unit control software and analytics, and combustion engine development. The company name was updated to Red Bull Ford Powertrains. In December 2025, the naming was simplified further to Red Bull Ford.
The Red Bull Ford DM01 was launched on 15 January 2026, the company's first wholly in-house developed power unit. It was named in memory of Dietrich Mateschitz, the late co-founder of Red Bull GmbH who died in 2022 and had been closely involved in establishing Red Bull Powertrains before his death. The DM01 was designed for the new 2026 Formula One technical regulations, which significantly increased the electrical power contribution relative to the hybrid era that preceded them.
Red Bull Powertrains operates in a 5,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Red Bull Racing chassis department in Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire. The proximity to the chassis operation was a deliberate design choice intended to tighten integration between power unit and chassis development — a factor that became increasingly important as power unit regulations and aerodynamic regulations were jointly overhauled for 2026.