Red Bull's Helmut Marko addresses the possibility of a 'Plan B' if the outfit's power unit in 2026 is not competitive

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that there is no such thing as a Plan B for the team in case the outfit's power unit in 2026 isn't competitive. The Austrian team has been part of the sport since 2005.

It first made its way to F1 as a customer team who bought its engine from other manufacturers. This policy paid dividends during its first reign of dominance from 2010 to 2013 when the engine was not the most dominant factor in car performance.

This, however, worked against Red Bull during the turbo era when the Renault power unit was just below par and left the team with too much of a task to make up ground. The Austrian team's partnership with Honda in 2019 alleviated a lot of these problems.

It helped Red Bull win the title in 2021 and the team has since become a dominant force once again. However, with Honda's unpredictable future (it initially left the sport at the end of 2021), the Austrian team decided to proceed with its own power unit project.

The 2026 F1 season will be the first time the team will field the in-house power unit and go up against world-class manufacturers like Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, and Renault.

When questioned about the current status of the power unit in a conversation with OE24, the Red Bull chief said:

"Even though we are still a long way from being able to compete competitively, everything is going according to plan and the performance curve is right."

However, when questioned about a possible 'Plan B' if the power unit did not turn out to be competitive, Red Bull's chief advisor said that the team has no other alternatives.

"No, it has to work. From 2026 we will drive with our own engine. Until then, we want the best possible performance potential from Honda, which has worked well so far. Honda was my deal, so I will continue to look after it," he added.

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Helmut Marko speaks about Sergio Perez's future at Red Bull

Helmut Marko was also questioned about the future of Sergio Perez at Red Bull. The Austrian stated that for now, the focus is on the Mexican fulfilling his current contract, which runs until the end of 2024.

Marko said, via the aforementioned source:

"As of now he [Sergio Perez] will fulfill his contract until the end of 2024, then we'll see."

Sergio Perez has been a part of the team since 2021 and has been pivotal in the team's success. However, he failed to fulfill expectations last season, where he finished second in the drivers' standings — 290 points behind teammate and champion Max Verstappen.

Moreover, with contenders like Daniel Ricciardo emerging and just waiting in the wings at AlphaTauri, there could be a scenario where we see a change in drivers at the Milton Keynes-based outfit.