Formula One team Red Bull Racing’s power unit-manufacturing division Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT), which was created in 2021 to develop power units for Red Bull and AlphaTauri, has announced a new partnership with innovative computational fluid dynamics firm Convergent Science. The partnership will see RBPT use Convergent Science’s “CONVERGE CFD” software to help with the design of its 2026 Formula One power unit.
RBPT is all set to debut its maiden power unit in 2026, when the new F1 regulations will come into play. The power unit will reportedly use one hundred percent sustainable fuels. The partnership with Convergent Science will see RBPT use the software firm’s expertise in designing the engine’s combustion system, working to optimise fuel spray and combustion chamber parameters.
Convergent Science’s combustion models will be used by Red Bull to predict the performance of various ICE designs, while the ability to quickly set up new simulations with different geometry configurations will allow the engineers to rapidly evaluate design options.
Christian Horner, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO, commented:
“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 the Oracle Red Bull Racing race in the coming seasons.“
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