# Christian Horner: Red Bull Engine Build Was Scary

> Christian Horner admits building Red Bull's F1 engine from scratch was 'scary as hell' after its first win.
- Title: Christian Horner: Red Bull Engine Build Was Scary · Motorsport
- Summary: Christian Horner admits building Red Bull's F1 engine from scratch was 'scary as hell' after its first win. Christian Horner says Red Bull's first F1 engine…
- Keywords: christian horner, red bull racing, ford engine, max verstappen, septang race, 2026 f1 season, sports, cars, Christian, Horner, Red, Bull
- Source: Motorsport — https://motorsport.com/f1/news/christian-horner-receives-unexpected-call-from-red-bull-after-breakthrough/10866228
- Author: Alex Harrington
- Published: 2026-10-19T21:13:42+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: christian horner, red bull racing, f1, ford engine, max verstappen, septang race, 2026 f1 season, sports, cars
## Christian Horner's Engine Build
Christian Horner admits building Red Bull's F1 engine from scratch was 'scary as hell' after its first win.

> It was scary as hell because we had no experience of building engines.
## Engine First Win
Max Verstappen gave the engine its first win at Sepang, and another in Singapore.
## Ford Partnership
Red Bull partnered with Ford after Honda withdrew from F1 in 2025.
## 2026 Season Progress
The engine won its first race in 2026 and became the benchmark internal combustion engine by the FIA.
## Key takeaway

Christian Horner says Red Bull's first F1 engine win in 2026 was 'scary as hell' to build from nothing.