2026 finally sees Red Bull go it alone in terms of its engine, and Helmut Marko admits that it is a gamble that "has to work".

Though Red Bull Powertains is up and running, it is with the full assistance of Honda, which has powered the Austrian team's championship winning cars since 2019.

While the Red Bull power unit will appear on the grid in 2026 when the new engine regulations come into effect, Honda, which had announced its exit from the sport in 2021, will return in partnership with Aston Martin.

Despite announcing its decision to leave F1 - and the subsequent decision to return with Lawrence Stoll's team - Honda committed to assisting Red Bull until 2025.

For the Austrian team, which struggled with Renault power units as the hybrid era got underway before making the brave switch to Honda, the decision to build its own engine is a bold move, a massive gamble for the six-time constructors' champions.

Nonetheless, Helmut Marko is confident.

"Even though we are still a long way from competitive use, everything is going according to plan and the performance curve is right," he tells Austria's OE24.

Asked, should things not go to plan, if Honda might yet remain a potential 'Plan B', the Austrian replied: "No, it has to work," he insists, "from 2026, we will be racing with our own engine.

"Until then, we want the best possible performance potential from Honda, which has worked well so far," he adds. "Honda was my deal, so I will continue to look after it."

With the rules stability, not to mention the efficiency of the Red Bull-Honda package, Max Verstappen is expected to continue his winning ways this season and next, but how does the Dutchman feel about his team's huge gamble.

"A difficult question," he admitted to Blick. "But hundreds of people are working on this Red Bull Powertrains project in Milton Keynes.

"We don't want to be caught on the wrong foot in 2026," he added. "We all hope it will be a rocket. We will see."