The four-time world champion faces the great challenge of bringing the first engine produced by Red Bull to victory. But in case of low competitiveness of the Milton Keynes team, the Dutchman could also look around, proving to be the most valuable piece on the market
“When I saw the car ready to go out on the track, I had shivers.” Max Verstappen, at least in words and after 233 GPs in F1, still knows how to get excited. The World Championship begins on Sunday in Melbourne and the four-time world champion spoke thus of the RB22, the first single-seater in Red Bull’s history powered by a power unit entirely developed in-house, in partnership with Ford. Even for an expert driver like him it won’t be a season like any other, this is an important sporting challenge: launching the new single-seater of the regulatory revolution and perhaps taking it to victory straight away.
the reference pilot
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The Dutchman comes into this season knowing that he has just touched on something historic. In 2025 Max staged one of the most impressive comebacks in recent Formula 1 memory: 104 points behind Lando Norris after the Dutch GP in August, five victories in the last eight races, the title lost by just two points in Abu Dhabi. Eight seasonal successes, more than anyone else on the grid. A championship lost in the numbers of the final ranking, but not in the collective imagination, which instead certified, if there were still any need, how Max remains the absolute reference of the paddock. “I am very proud of the team and the incredible comeback we made. We never gave up,” he said after the finish line in Yas Marina.
power unit challenge
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In that sentence there was already the seed of what is to come: the 2026 challenge is not simply to win again, but to do it in new conditions. Red Bull Powertrains, founded after the decision to end the partnership with Honda, is an engine department created to compete with giants such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and very soon Cadillac. Ford brought expertise in the combustion engine, battery systems and energy management software. In testing in Bahrain the RB22 accumulated kilometers without reliability problems, a fact that Verstappen greeted with admiration: “Seeing the car with our power unit complete so many laps was very impressive. There were so many proud faces.” The real test, however, begins now. The 2026 regulations — with the elimination of MGU-H and the introduction of sustainable fuels — represent the biggest technical reset in F1’s recent history. For a novice engine engineer like Red Bull, even with the reabsorption of many Honda technicians who have moved to the new division, it means filling an experience gap that rivals have already accumulated. The pilots will have to manage the distribution of electricity in a new way, and whoever knows how to do it best could make the difference immediately. “I don’t know how it will end – admitted Verstappen – but we have learned a lot and worked to optimize the car as much as possible. This year will be a particularly exciting challenge”. If Verstappen were to win his fifth world title with the first engine made by Red Bull, the scale of the undertaking would be even greater, something without many precedents.
market sirens
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And then there is the transfer question, a common thread that will recur for everyone throughout the season. Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but for a driver of his status there are termination clauses linked to the competitiveness of the car. The regulatory reset, in this sense, has a downside: if Red Bull does not prove to be competitive, a driver of its rank could look around. It is no mystery that Mercedes has courted him for a long time, with Toto Wolff never hiding his interest in the Dutchman. Ferrari is happy with Leclerc and Hamilton, but always remains on alert, especially if a window of opportunity opens up. Aston Martin, if it solves the reliability problems that seem to be gripping it, can always play the Adrian Newey card, with whom Max won everything in Red Bull. In short, 2027 will be a year in which many contracts will be up for renewal, and if the new regulations were to reshuffle the values, Verstappen would inevitably become the most valuable piece on the market. For now the focus is Melbourne, a track that has a special flavor for Max. “This circuit has many good memories for me, especially having played my first F1 race here,” he recalled. It was 2015, he was 17 years old. Now he is 28, won four world titles and a challenge ahead that could redefine his sporting legacy. It’s not just any season. It is the one in which Verstappen could write the most important chapter of his career. Or maybe decide where to go to write it.
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