064: Developing Championship-Winning Engines for Redbull F1.

On this episode of Tuned In, we get a rare peek inside the ultra-high-stakes world of Formula 1 engine development thanks to this week’s guest, Micah McMahon of Redbull Powertrains.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Micah is an American mechanical engineer based in Red Bull’s Milton Keynes facility where he works as the Performance Design Team Leader for the Formula 1 powertrain side of the operation.

As you probably rightly assumed though, Micah didn’t just walk into this job straight out of high school. We chart his path from studying mechanical engineering at university, to starting his own business focusing on high-performance Subaru applications, to working on the Ford GT powertrain at Roush Yates, to finally moving across the pond to continue his career with the world championship-holding Red Bull team in the UK.

Although much of Micah’s work is confidential and some questions need to be sidestepped, this episode still goes very deep into all aspects of both the current 1.6-litre 90-degree V6 turbocharged power units, as well as the upcoming 2026 regulation units that all teams are also quietly working on in the background. Expect to gain a better understanding of how these incredible feats of engineering operate, as well as a closer look at complicated components like the MGU-H and MGU-K systems that are utilised to extract every tiny bit of performance from the package. 

Micah spends his time at the very top of the motorsport industry — a cut-throat world in which every single horsepower counts. It’s not too often we get access to someone currently working in this very technical world, so this is one episode that definitely shouldn’t be missed! 

Follow Micah here:

IG: @gingermicah, @3miracing

LI: Micah McMahan

Want to learn more about motorsport wiring? Claim your spot for the next FREE lesson: https://hpcdmy.co/wireb