Max Verstappen has said Red Bull is “prepared” for the new Formula 1 regulations cycle, despite a brand-new powertrains project and a late-season development push in 2025.
The Milton Keynes-based squad is gearing up for a year of firsts, including its first full campaign with Laurent Mekies at the helm and its first without Helmut Marko involved.
Of course, it also is the debut year of its power unit venture with Ford, which is making its first appearance in F1 since selling up to the Austrian energy drinks brand in 2005.
Verstappen soothed many an anxious mind by committing to the team for 2026, after a summer of speculation he was holding ongoing talks with rivals Mercedes.
But the Dutchman has opted to stick rather than twist, and helps complete a new line-up, having been joined by Racing Bulls hotshot Isack Hadjar.
Verstappen mounted a late-season charge last year, overturning a 104-point deficit in August to losing the title by just two points, earning the respect of many for his sterling drives along the way.
His rejuvenation was aided by Red Bull’s continuing development of its RB21 car, which had been a distinctive class away from the McLaren’s MCL39 on many circuits.
Despite continuing to focus on the 2025 car amid developing the ’26 car, complete with the added strain of interpreting the new rulebooks, Verstappen is confident everyone and everything is where it should be.
“I mean, you know that even heading into that season, right? So it’s not like it comes as a shock,” he said to Bloomberg about the new regulations.
“The team is prepared for that, and it’s also a bit of a new challenge. I enjoyed the cars the last three years, but at the same time sometimes, yeah, it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of a change.
“Yeah, it can also really upset, of course, the grid. You don’t know. So yeah, we’ll see how that goes.”
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