Initially signed on a three-year deal, McLaren has been a Mercedes engine customer since 2021. This followed its turbulent divorce from Honda and three-year tie-up with Renault.
But ahead of the new 2026 engine regulations, which will ditch the expensive MGU-H and boost the electrical assistance to 50%, Brown has been to visit the fledgling Red Bull Powertrains site in Milton Keynes for very early talks to sound out a potential partnership.
Both Red Bull and McLaren said this type of meeting was par for the course, but Brown’s trip earlier this month does follow speculation that his Woking team was also weighing up a possible partnership with Honda, should the Japanese firm commit to an F1 return.
Asked to confirm the reports of Brown’s visit, Horner said: “I thought he was coming for lunch!
“As a powertrain manufacturer for 2026, it’s inevitable that discussions are going to be had regarding potential powertrain supply.
“That’s only natural that we would speak with potential customers.”
New McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reiterated the initial commitment to Mercedes before saying that exploratory talks should not come as much of a surprise.
Stella said: “We have a solid partnership with HPP.
“At the same time, it is obvious that looking further forward, you want to understand what’s available.
“That’s natural. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise.”
Speaking at the launch of the MCL60 at the McLaren Technology Centre last month, Brown added that he and Stella were reviewing the engine supply deal for the team.
He said: “We're very happy with Mercedes.
“We have some time to decide what we want to do in 2026… It's something that Andrea and I are in the process of slowly reviewing.
“We're not in a big rush and we are very happy with Mercedes.
“So, we'll see how things play out in the next year or so before we need to make a decision.”
Horner: “no money” in supplying more teams
Horner added that Red Bull Powertrains - which has gained substantial investment courtesy of a partnership with Ford - would struggle to turn a profit solely by enhancing its supply chain.
Discussing the potential to expand beyond its current customer deal with Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri, Horner said: “Obviously, we’re under budget caps.
“That helps to contain and control costs. Supply costs are dictated.
“From what we see now, there is no money supplying customer teams. It’s not a profitable business.”
Despite the lack of a financial boon, engine manufacturers gain from supplying other teams by accessing a greater pool of data.
