Red Bull enter an unchartered territory in 2026 as for the first time, they will manufacture their own power units in partnership with Ford. Since there is immense uncertainty about how competitive will they be, rumors have emerged that Max Verstappen could seek a move away from Red Bull.
And the speculation about his future has amplified even more, with Aston Martin reportedly having offered him a whopping $1 billion deal. Saying no to a team — that many experts believe can become a championship contender in 2026 — is likely to be incredibly hard for Verstappen.
However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes Verstappen has nothing much to worry about. “We’re not really at a disadvantage from an engine point of view,” the Austrian told OE24 when asked about the possibility of Verstappen leaving Red Bull if the RB22 isn’t competitive in 2026. “One or two-tenths of a delay are manageable with Max”.
Marko then added how Verstappen has the chance to achieve something that Sebastian Vettel fell short of, during the German’s time at Milton Keynes.
“We want to win our fifth world title in a row, that is our goal,” Marko said. “With Sebastian Vettel, we did not succeed”. Vettel went on a juggernaut of four consecutive world championships at Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.
But when the turbo-hybrid regulations came into effect a year later, the German did not get a good enough car — due to multiple reasons — to repeat his brilliance.
Max Verstappen joins Sebastian Vettel as the only driver with four drivers’ championships before turning 30 pic.twitter.com/Ocf6vkunZZ
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 24, 2024
While many would argue how Verstappen was able to take a sub-par car to championship glory in 2024, Red Bull’s drop in form, back in 2014, was worse and what rubbed salt in Vettel’s struggles was Mercedes’ impeccable dominance.
However, with the regulations remaining relatively stable going into 2025, Verstappen will expect to have an outside chance of winning a fifth consecutive title even if Red Bull do not have the most dominant car. In 2026, though, there are major doubts about Red Bull’s competitiveness.
Can Ford help Red Bull produce a strong engine?
Since the 2026 regulation changes will have a strong emphasis on engines, it will be paramount for Red Bull to produce a strong power unit if they want to be competitive. Although Ford have a long history of success in F1 — being the third most successful engine manufacturer to this day — they have not been a part of the sport since 2004.
: Ford explored multiple options before finalizing its F1 return with Red Bull, including buying its own team. However, it opted for a partnership, aligning with its strategy of collaborating rather than owning teams. Ford will contribute to Red Bull Powertrains, focusing on… pic.twitter.com/WK8wJX5WrH
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) February 22, 2025
And their time away from the sport coupled with Red Bull’s inexperience in producing engines could prove to be the Achilles’ heel of the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Mercedes are likely to be the favorite in this department, having shown how dominant of an engine they can produce when regulations change, having done so during the turbo-hybrid era when they won eight consecutive championships.
Aston Martin are also likely to be competitive after partnering with Honda, the same engine manufacturer that has helped Verstappen and Red Bull dominate the sport during the recent ground-effect era.
Red Bull will face the heat as even Renault — despite having championship-winning experience — had to discontinue their engine project due to their inability to remain competitive. So, there is no guarantee for the Bulls, being a novice on the engine front.
However, if any team can surpass this challenge, then it’s Red Bull. Having won multiple world championships despite being an energy drinks company, they have repeatedly defied the odds and will hope to do so again in 2026.
