Red Bull Powertrains has joined forces with innovative computational fluid dynamics company Convergent Science, utilising the firm’s industry-leading CONVERGE CFD software in the design of its 2026 Formula One power unit. Established 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 is set to make its debut in 2026 when new F1 regulations specify the use of one hundred percent 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, while the ability to quickly set up new simulations with different geometry configurations will allow the Teams’ engineers to rapidly evaluate design options.
CONVERGE’s flexibility has led to its adoption by not only engine makers and F1 teams around the world, but also manufacturers in a variety of 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 day by day 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, a process that 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 Oracle Red Bull Racing race in the coming seasons.”
- Advertisement - 
