Red Bull has acquired Phil Preew, chief engineer of Mercedes’ F1 engine division. Further strengthened Red Bull Powertrains.
Red Bull plans to build its own F1 power unit with Red Bull Powertrains in 2026 when the new F1 engine regulations come into force, and has signed several big names to prepare for it.
One of the newest signings is Phil Preew. His name may not be well known to F1 fans, but he has been a key figure in Mercedes’ F1 engine division for many years and has had a long and successful career in F1.
Phil Preew previously worked at McLaren with Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey. From 1997 to 2016 he was race engineer for the likes of David Coulthard, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez before moving to Mercedes’ engine division as chief engineer.
Since announcing the Red Bull Powertrains project for 2021, Red Bull has been on a hiring spree, with some staff already being lured out of Mercedes in recent months.
The factory for Mercedes’ F1 engine division is just a 45-minute drive from Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes.
Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner says he is pleased with the progress of the plan so far.
“All the key players are in place,” said Christian Horner at the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“We have management in place and they are working hard to see what the 2026 regulations will be, hopefully soon.”
As for Phil Prew, the exact role has yet to be announced, but Christian Horner is thrilled to have him join Red Bull Powertrains.
“I am delighted to have Phil join the team,” said Horner.
“He’s had an incredible track record. He’s been a key factor in Mercedes’ recent success and it’s another statement of our intentions of where we want to go with the power unit.”
“I think we’ve gathered something very deep in the business. It’s great to see it all come together. Phil is a recent addition to the very talented group of people we’ve already gathered. It’s one of the few significant contracts.”
“Adrian has known Phil for many years, so of course he took his opinion into consideration.”
