McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has weighed in on Red Bull Racing's prospects of mounting a title challenge in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. The Austrian outfit is embarking on a new era following its split from Honda, now developing its own power unit in partnership with Ford.

Meanwhile, the team of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — dominant forces in the sport over the past two seasons — has endured a difficult start to 2026, currently sitting behind both Mercedes and Ferrari in terms of outright performance.

In comments published by Racer.com, Brown said: "I think it would be very foolish to discount Red Bull. I also think Audi has done a very good job. So I think it would be short-sighted not to expect other teams to move up the grid quickly.

"I think things will only consolidate over time, not stretch further apart. And we've seen how fast this sport can change — how quickly people can become competitive and then sometimes drop back. I think they need to do a bit of a reset, right? They lost a lot of people: Christian, Wheatley, GP eventually, Newey, Dan Fallows — although I think Dan may now be back at Racing Bulls.

"So I think a lot about what I went through at McLaren, which was a different situation because Red Bull was very competitive, but much of the pit wall has changed too. Laurent is coming in. I rate Laurent. I think he does a very good job. He's technical, he's young, and I think he has to rebuild the people he's lost and rebuild the team. And I have no doubt that he will.

"Just like McLaren had an enormous amount of talent that simply needed to be unlocked. I think Red Bull is probably in a similar position. They've been very dominant until not that long ago. There's a lot of talent there — it just needs to be redirected," he said.

Formula 1 is a competition between drivers, but equally a battle of engineering, technology, and industrial development — all pursued at the highest level and backed by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Structural differences between teams, the companies behind them, and their broader motorsport heritage mean that smaller outfits such as Cadillac and Williams source their engines and gearboxes from larger manufacturers, subject to strict FIA regulations.

Here is the full breakdown of engine suppliers for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship grid: