Red Bull Powertrains has joined forces with innovative computational fluid dynamics company Convergent Science, utilising the firm’s industry-leading CONVERGE CFD software to design its 2026 Formula One power unit.
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In 2021, Red Bull Powertrains was created to develop power units for Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Alpha Tauri. The company’s first power unit will debut in 2026 when new F1 regulations specify using one hundred per cent sustainable fuels.
Red Bull Powertrains’ partnership with Convergent Science will see the US software firm support the design of the engine’s combustion system, working to optimise fuel spray and combustion chamber parameters. Converge’s detailed combustion models will be used to predict the performance of various ICE designs. At the same time, the ability to set up new simulations with different geometry configurations quickly will allow the Teams’ engineers to evaluate design options rapidly.
Converge’s flexibility has led to its adoption by engine makers and F1 teams worldwide and manufacturers in various industries, including electric vehicle systems, rotating machinery, and renewable energy infrastructure.
Christian Horner, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO, said:
The development of our power unit for the 2026 season is evolving daily in our new Red Bull Powertrains factory, with a highly motivated group of engineers and mechanics. We continue to invest in people and facilities to bring competitive power units to the grid and to achieve that target. We need the best tools in every area. Converge CFD undoubtedly meets that need and will help us to build a race-winning ICE. Their highly detailed combustion models enable us to visualise and simulate the inside of the cylinder during combustion. This process will accelerate our development of a more powerful and efficient engine for the next generation of F1.
Kelly Senecal, co-founder and owner of Convergent Science, added:
We’re thrilled that Red Bull Powertrains has chosen Converge to support the development of its next-generation racing engine. We work hard to keep Converge on the cutting edge of simulation technology, and it’s exciting to see Red Bull Powertrains take advantage of our software’s advanced capabilities to design a best-in-class power unit in a few short years. We look forward to watching the Oracle Red Bull Racing race in the coming seasons.
