Verstappen camp 'hearing good things' about Red Bull's 2026 engine
Max Verstappen's manager says the team is hearing positive feedback about its new in-house 2026 F1 engine, but cautions that no one knows the true competitive benchmark yet. The success of Red Bull's risky transition to a full constructor will be revealed in the opening races, where adaptability may be as important as raw performance.
Max Verstappen's inner circle is cautiously optimistic about Red Bull's new in-house power unit for 2026, citing positive internal feedback, but acknowledges the true competitive picture won't be clear until the cars hit the track. With the team embarking on its boldest project yet—building its own engine from scratch with Ford—the 2026 season opener will be a crucial test of whether the gamble pays off.
Why it matters:
Red Bull's transition from a championship-winning customer team to a full constructor with its own power unit is one of the most ambitious and risky moves in modern F1 history. Success would cement its status as a true powerhouse, while failure could see it lose ground to rivals like Mercedes and McLaren, reshaping the competitive order for years to come.
The details:
- Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, told Dutch media he is "hearing good things" about the 2026 Red Bull Powertrains engine but emphasized there is no clear benchmark yet to judge its true performance.
- He believes the opening rounds of 2026 will immediately reveal which teams have successfully interpreted the new technical regulations, making adaptability and rapid development more critical than ever.
- Vermeulen highlighted that a team's ability to quickly "reshuffle the office" and bring upgrades if they start behind will be the key differentiator in what is expected to be an extremely tight field.
- Beyond the engine, he pointed to Red Bull's full financial and technical commitment, including major investments in facilities, as a reason for confidence.
The big picture:
Verstappen enters 2026 highly motivated after narrowly losing the 2025 title to Lando Norris. The competitive landscape is murky, with McLaren considered an early favorite and persistent paddock rumors suggesting both Mercedes and Red Bull may have identified a potential 'grey area' in the new power unit rules that could offer a performance advantage. This technical intrigue, coupled with the complete regulatory reset, sets the stage for one of the most unpredictable and pivotal seasons in recent memory.
What's next:
All speculation will end when pre-season testing begins. The stopwatch will deliver the first true verdict on Red Bull's engine project. Until then, the team will continue its massive development push, hoping that the positive internal signals translate into on-track performance and that their unprecedented gamble to become a true manufacturer team proves to be a masterstroke.