Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations<\/a>, it\u2019s something that they will desperately want to change, but it may not be the only alteration on their minds.<\/p>\n Red Bull have decided Verstappen\u2019s teammate<\/a> after months of speculation, and an announcement is likely to follow in the next few months. Don\u2019t expect them to wait until December this year.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for the team, one vital department has \u2018completely lost its way\u2019<\/a>, despite the arrival of new team boss Laurent Mekies. They need some help.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Max Verstappen would find it \u2018very difficult to accept\u2019 not working with one key Red Bull figure<\/a><\/p>\n Toto Wolff says Red Bull are climbing \u2018Mount Everest\u2019<\/a> and were set back by Christian Horner failing to agree a deal with Porsche for their power units beyond 2026.<\/p>\n The Red Bull Powertrains<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n However, despite the heavy investment into the power units, Auto Motor und Sport<\/a> reports that Red Bull are one of two teams that are \u2018supporters\u2019 of bringing in a new V8 engine for 2029.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n Verstappen has \u2018surprised\u2019 Mekies<\/a> recently, and he might do so again in the future if the team fails to deliver an acceptable level of performance. If they don\u2019t up their game, expect them to apply more pressure on rule changes for 2029.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Toto Wolff reveals what he teased Max Verstappen\u2019s \u2018greedy\u2019 manager about during Mercedes talks<\/a><\/p>\n Why Red Bull should be competitive again in 2026 despite rule changes<\/p>\n Even though manufacturers like Honda have shown how difficult it is to join Formula 1<\/a> with a competitive engine straight away in the past, Red Bull shouldn\u2019t face quite as many gremlins.<\/p>\n Over the last decade, they\u2019ve worked with two different suppliers, and they will have learned a lot. It\u2019s all stuff they can either avoid or implement in their new engine.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2215328753-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jay Hirano\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty ImagesRed Bull are \u2018supporters\u2019 of F1 engine rule change which suggests 2026 trouble<\/p>\n