Siemens Digital Industrial Software today announced that the Red Bull Ford Red Bull Powertrain has adopted Siemens Xcelerator’s industrial software solution to develop a new generation of ICE/ electric drive hybrid powertrains for the Formula One World Championship (F1) 2026 season.

Red Bull Ford Powertrain will power Oracle Red Bull and Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 teams for the 2026 season and is one of only six powertrain manufacturers. Since announcing its intention in 2021, Red Bull Ford Powertrain has focused on developing sustainable high-speed powertrains that meet the requirements of the new season and the new rules of the F1 engine. In the field of powertrain development, where historical reference data is lacking and confidentiality is extremely strong, every component design of Red Bull Ford Powertrain is a new attempt.

Ben Hodgkinson, Technical Director of Powertrain at Red Bull Ford, said: “The Siemens Xcelerator is the digital backbone of our design and manufacturing efforts, and our new team is able to synchronize hundreds of rapid design evolvations and ensure that each designer can clearly see and understand the work of other colleagues.”
“It’s actually challenging for us because we don’t have historical data to go back to. Every component, down to the nuts and bolts on the engine, had to be modeled from scratch. The design quality and ease of use of Siemens NX solutions and Teamcenter’s collaboration and lifecycle management capabilities are key to our success.”

In addition to Siemens’ NX product engineering software and Teamcenter product lifecycle management software, the Red Bull Ford Powertrain also uses the simulation test capabilities of Siemens SimcenterSTAR-CCM+ software to support the design and validation of the entire project.

Robert Jones, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Customer Success at Siemens Digital Industrial Software, said: “The racing industry is actively creating a cleaner and more sustainable future, and this requires teams and suppliers to make radical changes to their development processes. Siemens Xcelerator enables racing partners to deliver innovative solutions in a short period of time to successfully achieve their goals. We are delighted to be able to help the Red Bull Ford powertrain improve the sustainability of the car while also meeting the requirements of zero fossil fuels, improved power efficiency and energy recovery for the 2026 season.”