Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Many were convinced that Red Bull would find itself in the Aston Martin position at this stage of 2026.<\/p>\n A widespread suspicion that Red Bull was behind with the development of its power unit was at the heart of calls for Max Verstappen to make the move to Mercedes in the middle of 2025.<\/p>\n Get out while you still can, Max. You\u2019ll only end up regretting it if you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n That was the tone of the debate in the weeks before the summer break last year.<\/p>\n Perhaps it was more telling than anyone realised at the time, then, when Verstappen confirmed that he would remain with Red Bull.<\/p>\n Data analysis: How F1 2026 cars compare to 2025<\/p>\n F1 2026 vs 2025: Bahrain lap-time data delivers rule change verdict<\/a><\/p>\n Bahrain telemetry suggests Red Bull engine edge after Wolff claim<\/a><\/p>\n Naturally, he would have had access to Red Bull\u2019s projections for 2026 at the time of his decision.<\/p>\n Toto Wolff, meanwhile, would not have been doing his job if he had not given Max an indication of what Mercedes had planned too.<\/p>\n And yet still Verstappen chose home. He chose Red Bull.<\/p>\n Turns out that the departure of Christian Horner was not the only factor that convinced him to stay.<\/p>\n The difficulties experienced by its old friends at Honda have only further hit home what Red Bull Powertrains has achieved with its first real attempt at an F1 engine.<\/p>\n He might not be welcome in Milton Keynes these days, but much of the credit for RBPT-Ford\u2019s assured start<\/a> should go to Horner, who recruited smartly and effectively after the team\u2019s in-house engine division was founded in 2021.<\/p>\n That RBPT hired a large number of staff from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains \u2013 including technical director Ben Hodgkinson and engineering director Phil Prew \u2013 almost certainly explained why it was the only other manufacturer to have dallied with the famous loophole in the new rules.<\/p>\n If this is the kind of experience and expertise Red Bull Powertrains bought itself, how could it possibly have crashed and burned in 2026?<\/p>\n The greatest compliment that can be paid to Red Bull is that it should begin the new season in almost exactly the same place \u2013 very close but not quite at the front \u2013 it started last year.<\/p>\n There has been no step back. No dramas. No extended period of learning.<\/p>\n And as we know by now, the team only ever needs to get Verstappen close.<\/p>\n Do that and Max will take care of the rest.<\/p>\n What Red Bull\u2019s rivals said about the RBPT-Ford engine in Bahrain F1 2026 testing<\/p>\n Toto Wolff, Mercedes<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping that they would be worse than they are. They\u2019ve done a very good job.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car, the power unit are the benchmark at the moment, I would say.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd obviously if you have Max in the car, that combination is strong.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at their energy deployment today [the opening day of the first Bahrain test].<\/p>\n \u201cThey are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everybody else. We are speaking a second a lap over consecutive laps.<\/p>\n \u201cOn a single lap, we have seen it before. But now we have seen it on 10 consecutive laps with the same straight-line deployment.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that as of today, on the first official day of testing, which is always with the caveat of that, they\u2019ve done a day to set the benchmark.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlos Sainz, Williams<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still extremely early days.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, if I would have to judge by the GPS data of yesterday, right now it is true that whatever Red Bull Powertrains\/Ford were doing yesterday [the first day in Bahrain] was a clear step ahead of anyone else.<\/p>\n \u201cA clear step, not only a small step, but a clear step.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is mighty impressive if they manage to turn up to race one of a completely new set of regulations, with a completely new engine, new people, and turn up to be the most fastest and reliable engine.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to take your hat off to them and say what they\u2019ve come up with, what they were showing yesterday, was very, very impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-22-at-11.30.04.jpeg\")
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