Red Bull face a nervy wait to discover whether they will continue to be Formula 1 title contenders from 2026 under their own power.
For the first time ever, the Milton Keynes-based outfit will be rolling out their own power units at testing next February, after the end of their partnership with Honda.
If it goes badly, it could spell the end of Max Verstappen’s dominance in the sport, particularly with the rumoured strength of Mercedes’ engine.
Red Bull have won a race in every season since 2016, but the 2026 F1 regulations pose the biggest threat to that record of any campaign since then.
Recently, Verstappen stopped complaining at Imola after a poor start to 2025. It feels as if the team have been regressing since Adrian Newey’s departure last year.
However, they were handed a small boost with Verstappen 100% deciding to race for them in 2026 after upgrades, which may have reinvigorated his drivers’ championship charge.
READ MORE: What Max Verstappen has now told Red Bull insiders about their 2025 F1 car after delivering Imola update package
Red Bull may be ‘afraid’ of 2026 F1 regulations after team meetings
Verstappen drew comparison to Nigel Mansell after a calm and composed effort to win his second race of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
He’s just 23 points from the top of the standings again and cannot be counted out of the title race with 17 events to go.
What may worry him is the potential state of Red Bull’s car for 2026, which will be powered by their own engine for the first time ever.
Formula 1 journalist Erik Van Haren reports that the Austrian outfit have been ‘afraid’ in meetings about the current plans to change the rules.
“In the meeting about next year’s engine regulations, Mercedes has actually been the only supplier that has consistently said, ‘We are happy with the way things are now and we don’t need to change anything, ‘” he said.
“And you hear from people who are at those meetings that Red Bull in particular is hammering away at whether we can make this difference between electrical power and combustion engine.
“Whether we can move that a bit more towards the combustion engine because we’re a little bit afraid that otherwise we’ll have to ease off the gas on the straight.”
READ MORE: How Red Bull paid tribute to Dietrich Mateschitz after Max Verstappen’s Imola win on their 400th F1 start
What is Max Verstappen’s record in the first year of regulation changes?
Formula 1 regulations change virtually every year, but the current reigning champion has been through two major alterations in 2017 and 2022.
Those seasons had contrasting results for him, on completely opposite ends of the scale. 2017 saw the sport adopt much bigger cars and tyres, leading to Verstappen’s worst season with Red Bull.
He finished sixth in the championship with just two victories, one more than the year prior, but without a lot more competition at the front clearly.
2022 was a different story, winning 15 of 22 races on offer and claiming his second consecutive championship by a very comfortable margin. It was almost too easy for him.
It’s hard to predict what 2026 will bring, but he must have enough optimism for the future if he has decided to remain with his team instead of switching. Maybe they’re hiding their true potential…
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