Helmut Marko has privately made a deeply concerning admission about Red Bull’s 2026 F1 car

As their woes continue in 2025, Red Bull will be looking ahead to 2026 to get back to the top of Formula 1.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit have regressed over the last few months. Despite Max Verstappen winning his fourth consecutive title in 2024, Red Bull’s drop in performance was noticeable.

Things have worsened in 2025. While the Dutchman won at Suzuka with a stunning performance, he has struggled to handle the characteristics of the RB21, finishing half a minute behind Oscar Piastri in the McLaren at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen has been frustrated with Red Bull as they did not listen to his concerns about the car sooner. His teammates have fared little better, as Liam Lawson was dropped for Yuki Tsunoda after Shanghai – he failed to reach Q2 or score points in the first two races.

Red Bull held an ‘intensive meeting’ after the Bahrain GP to work out how to solve their issues. The team have been having trouble with simulations, with their findings not translating to on-track performances.

This spells bad news for 2026, when Red Bull becomes a works team and produces their own engine in collaboration with Ford. It appears there are already negative signs.

Helmut Marko privately said Red Bull’s 2026 power unit is ’10 horsepower’ down on their rivals

Red Bull have a great track record when it comes to new regulations. After finally prefecting the turbo hybrid era in 2021, the team moved quickly into the ground effect regulations, allowing Verstappen to dominate the next three seasons.

They will want to do the same for the 2026 regulations. However, their current trajectory is not looking too strong, as Red Bull are still suffering the loss of Adrian Newey to Aston Martin in their technical department.

Helmut Marko has already hinted that it is affecting their preparations for 2026. According to Dutch journalist Jack Plooij, having spoken with the Red Bull chief advisor, their engine for next season is ’10 horsepower’ down on their rivals.

He said via The Red Flags Podcast: “The last info I had from Helmut Marko is that they’re lacking five horsepower, what was it, 10 horsepower instead of the others, that’s what Helmut Marko said.

“So still behind the others. So if that’s true, if it’s hide and seek, are they cheating a little bit with this information? We don’t know yet, I didn’t see the prints, so I don’t know.

“Aston Martin is in the market because they have Adrian Newey, they have money and Lawrence Stroll has a plan.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Max Verstappen will have every reason to worry about Helmut Marko’s 2026 admission

Out of anyone at Red Bull, Verstappen will be the most concerned by Marko’s comments. The Dutchman is getting increasingly annoyed by the team’s situation and where they look to be going if they cannot improve their form.

Verstappen is facing the same problem Ayrton Senna had during his time at Lotus. His talent is obvious, but he can only do so much when the car is lacking power.

Verstappen might have lost confidence in Pierre Wache – the team have regressed under his leadership since Newey left. Red Bull’s poor form has reignited speculation that the four-time champion could also leave come the end of the season.

Aston Martin have offered a £206m-a-year deal to Verstappen as Lawrence Stroll looks to bring him on board his project with Newey and Honda. Mercedes cannot be ruled out either, given Toto Wolff’s previous interest in the 27-year-old in 2024.