Red Bull face one of the toughest challenges in their Formula 1 history if they want to be title contenders again in 2026.
Keeping hold of Max Verstappen was the first significant hurdle they navigated, but designing a better car and producing a strong power unit are going to be much more difficult tasks.
The constructors’ championship currently shows Red Bull have taken a slide over the last 18 months, not helped by the struggles of their second car.
Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, it’s something that they will desperately want to change, but it may not be the only alteration on their minds.
Red Bull have decided Verstappen’s teammate after months of speculation, and an announcement is likely to follow in the next few months. Don’t expect them to wait until December this year.
Unfortunately for the team, one vital department has ‘completely lost its way’, despite the arrival of new team boss Laurent Mekies. They need some help.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen would find it ‘very difficult to accept’ not working with one key Red Bull figure
Photo by Jay Hirano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesRed Bull are ‘supporters’ of F1 engine rule change which suggests 2026 trouble
Toto Wolff says Red Bull are climbing ‘Mount Everest’ and were set back by Christian Horner failing to agree a deal with Porsche for their power units beyond 2026.
The Red Bull Powertrains division comes into full force from next year, and for the first time ever, the team will be bringing their own engines to the track.
However, despite the heavy investment into the power units, Auto Motor und Sport reports that Red Bull are one of two teams that are ‘supporters’ of bringing in a new V8 engine for 2029.
It’s an eye-opener into the position they might be in currently. If they had a top power unit or felt they might end up with one, would they be insisting on such a change?
Verstappen has ‘surprised’ Mekies recently, and he might do so again in the future if the team fails to deliver an acceptable level of performance. If they don’t up their game, expect them to apply more pressure on rule changes for 2029.
Why Red Bull should be competitive again in 2026 despite rule changes
Even though manufacturers like Honda have shown how difficult it is to join Formula 1 with a competitive engine straight away in the past, Red Bull shouldn’t face quite as many gremlins.
Over the last decade, they’ve worked with two different suppliers, and they will have learned a lot. It’s all stuff they can either avoid or implement in their new engine.
It might take some time to find some reliability, but the start of new regulations often mixes things up. It did back in 2014 for them, at least.
Verstappen knows Red Bull’s ‘main problem’ and it’s something which can be addressed for next year. They will only need to start worrying after qualifying at the season-opener in Australia if their cars struggle in Q1.