With the 2026 regulation overhaul right on the horizon, Christian Horner fears that Red Bull’s days of dominance may be numbered. In 2026, the sport is going to introduce new, power unit specific rule changes, and that is exactly when the Bulls are going to embark on their journey with Ford as an engine partner and with a brand new engine.
Over the years, both, Mercedes and Ferrari have carved a niche out for themselves for being one of the best engine manufacturers in the sport. In the turbo-hybrid era, the Silver Arrows were known to have the best engine on the grid in terms of power and reliability. Ferrari often were snipping right on their heels, mostly led down by a flawed aerodynamic and mechanical concept.
Max Verstappen has echoed his Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s warnings over the problems they believe the 2026 F1 rules will create.
“For me, the problem is, it looks like it’s going to be an ICE [internal combustion engine] competition, like whoever has the strongest… pic.twitter.com/WWyLm0vjrH
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 3, 2023
While speaking about their 2026 engines, Horner was quoted by Soymotor.com as saying, “We are not going to go into details yet of where we are, but we are on a trajectory. But we have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of ground to make up: We compete against manufacturers that have decades of experience.”
Many would think it a big gamble to field a brand new self-developed and manufactured engine, right when their dominance is at its peak. However, the Briton is wholly committed to the project and is going to leave no stone unturned in greatness’ pursuit.
Red Bull – Ford alliance in 2026 could spell the end of Max Verstappen in Formula 1
As things stand, Max Verstappen has won three world championships on the trot. The last of his championships were his most dominant and iconic as he went on to break countless records and won almost every Grand Prix of the season.
With three already down, the Dutchman has two more seasons of ‘guaranteed‘ championship success left on his plate. The Bulls, and consequently Verstappen are expected to win both the upcoming championships in 2024 and 2025, which would equal him with Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of five world titles.
⚠️ Max Verstappen hints at retiring sooner than 2028 if Red Bull don’t deliver after 2026
“I don’t see myself spending three years in the midfield. I’d rather stay home or do something else. But again, I don’t see that [RB not delivering] happening.”
[@telegraaf] #F1 pic.twitter.com/cXkUQ9EQ7C
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 19, 2023
2026 is a harder year to predict in the favor of the Milton Keynes based team. If Ford and the Bulls do fumble, it could mean the end of the team’s dominant run in the sport, with the team that makes the best power unit set to dominate for the years to come.
On more than one occasion, Verstappen has signalled his intent to quit the sport for good if he is no longer winning. Hence, if the 2026 regulation reset hits the Bulls, Max Verstappen could very well call it quits on his time in Formula 1.
