Not every Formula 1 team builds its own engine. In fact, some of the biggest teams on the grid rely on another manufacturer to supply one of their cars most important components.
The difference between the two comes down largely to control. Works teams have greater control over how their engine is developed and how it is integrated into the rest of the car. Customer teams, on the other hand, rely on another manufacturer for their engine. If issues arise, they are dependent on the manufacturer to address them, which can leave them feeling like they are in the dark. With so much at stake, it is easy to see why tensions can rise between the two.
It is hard to say exactly how much teams benefit from having control over their own engines. Much of it depends on the circumstances, and especially on how good the engine is. If a customer team has a strong and reliable engine and is satisfied with its performance, there may not be much for them to complain about.
Still, it may be telling that many of the top-performing teams in Formula 1 choose to develop their own engines. Having control over both the engine and the car gives them more freedom to develop the two together and insure they work in sync.
What is a work team vs a consumer team?
A works team, also known as a factory team, is a constructor that develops both its own chassis and engine. Because the team is responsible for both, it can develop them with each other in mind. The engine, chassis, aerodynamics, cooling, and other components can all be designed to work together from the beginning.
However, that advantage comes with a much greater financial and technical commitment. Developing an F1 engine requires enormous amounts of money, technology, and personnel. A manufacturer must invest in the facilities and engineers needed to design, test, and produce the engine.
A customer team, on the other hand, purchases its engine from another manufacturer while developing its own chassis. This allows the team to focus its resources on designing and developing its own car without taking on the enormous cost of developing an engine.
Importantly, being a customer team does not necessarily mean having an inferior engine. Customer teams receive the same specification of engine as the manufacturer's works team. FIA regulations require manufacturers to provide customer teams with the same engine specifications.
That said, equal engine specifications do not mean that works and customer teams have access to all the same information. Manufacturers are still limited in what technical information they can share with their customer teams. This can make the relationship particularly complicated when something goes wrong or when the customer team believes it needs more information or support from its supplier.
For example, Mercedes is a works team because it develops its own chassis and engine. McLaren, Alpine, and Williams, meanwhile, use Mercedes engines but design and build their own cars, making them customer teams. Ferrari also develops its own chassis and engine while supplying engines to customer teams such as Haas and Cadillac.
Additionally, some teams have exclusive partnerships with an engine manufacturer that is not on the grid. Aston Martin, for example, switched to Honda engines for the 2026 season. Red Bull, meanwhile, moved from being a Honda customer to developing its own engine program through Red Bull Ford Powertrains, with Ford involved as a technical partner.
When the Relationship Breaks Down
This close relationship between engine manufacturers and customer teams has also created some of the sport's biggest tensions. Because the engine is such an important part of an F1 car, disagreements can arise over performance, reliability, technical support, and development.
One of the most famous examples was the relationship between Red Bull Racing and Renault. After years of working together, tensions grew as Red Bull became increasingly frustrated with the performance and reliability of Renault's engines.
The disagreement eventually contributed to Red Bull ending its Renault partnership and moving to Honda.
Ultimately, the works-versus-customer distinction is important, but there is no clear-cut answer as to whether one is always better than the other. Performance in Formula 1 comes down to many different factors and circumstances, including the technical design of the car, the strength of the competition, and the trust between the two teams.
| Team | Powertrain | Partnership debut |
|---|---|---|
| Mclaren | Mercedes | 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Mercedes | Mercedes | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Red Bull | Red Bull Ford | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Ferrari | Ferrari | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Williams | Mercedes | 2014 Australian Grand Prix |
| Racing Bulls | Red Bull Ford | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Aston Martin | Honda | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Haas | Ferrari | 2016 Australian Grand Prix |
| Audi | Audi | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Alpine | Mercedes | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Cadillac | Ferrari | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
