Red Bull sits in an interesting position going into the 2026 season, with one of the best drivers in the world in Max Verstappen, but the regular inability to get more from their second driver. Could this be their year?
The 2026 F1 season is approaching as winter slowly crawls on, so it’s about time we take a look at how every team sizes up a month out from Australia. Today, we’ll be looking at Red Bull and breaking down everything we know and don’t know, only a few days past the Barcelona Shakedown.
Key Red Bull team facts
| Full Team Name | Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team |
| Base | Milton Keynes, England |
| Team Principal | Laurent Mekies |
| Technical Director | Pierre Waché |
| Engine Supplier | Ford |
| 2025 Championship Position | 3rd |
2026 Red Bull drivers
Max Verstappen: a 4-time champion, every F1 fan knows who Max Verstappen is. He is considered by many to still be the best driver on the grid despite his 2nd-place finish in the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship.
Expectations are high for Verstappen going into this year, as many experts have high hopes for the 2026 Red Bull car. It’s championship or bust for Verstappen, and I don’t think he’d like it any other way
Isack Hadjar: Hadjar is replacing Yuki Tsunoda and now finds himself in a potentially scary spot heading into 2026. The 2nd-year driver sits in the cursed 2nd Red Bull seat that tends to chew up and spit out both experienced and inexperienced drivers alike.
Hopes are high for Hadjar after he was able to grab 51 points and a podium in his rookie year with the Racing Bulls, but whether or not he can break the curse and make that 2nd Red Bull seat his long-term home remains to be seen.
Red Bull technical breakdown
While Mercedes is widely considered the favourite to have the best car heading into 2026, most of the news we have gotten this winter regarding Red Bull’s car has been good. The new engine reportedly performed very well during the Barcelona Shakedown and has been described as highly reliable, with few issues expected for the upcoming season.
The biggest question that still remains is whether or not they will be able to match the pace of the current front-runners in Mercedes, and if not, will the pace of Verstappen be enough to close the gap?
Red Bull leadership and personnel changes
Red Bull is expected to run back a fairly similar leadership group heading into the 2026 season. 2025 saw the midseason exit of two very big names inside of Red Bull in Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. Horner was replaced by Laurent Mekies, who remains the team principal heading into 2026.
2026 Red Bull performance expectations
When your number 1 driver is Max Verstappen, anything is possible. Red Bull arguably delivered Verstappen the worst car he had seen throughout his championship reign last season, and he was still able to drag it to 2nd place in the driver’s championship. As mentioned, expectations are fairly high for the car’s performance, so there likely won’t be many excuses when it comes to Verstappen’s bid for the 2026 drivers’ championship.
As for how Red Bull is going to size up in the constructors, that is inevitably going to come down to how Isack Hadjar performs in Red Bull’s 2nd seat. We have seen how short a leash Red Bull tends to give their 2nd drivers. You have to think that the pressure will absolutely be on Hadjar straight from the jump to perform and help Red Bull improve from their 3rd place finish in 2025.
Key questions for Red Bull going into the 2026 F1 season
- How is Red Bull’s car going to compare to Mercedes’?
The biggest talking point of the F1 offseason so far has been how potentially dominant Mercedes’ car is going to be next season. With Max Verstappen chasing his 5th championship, it is important this year for Red Bull’s car to be as close to Mercedes’ in performance as possible, but whether or not they will be able to deliver remains to be seen.
2. Will Isack Hadjar be able to survive his entire 1st season at Red Bull?
This is going to be an interesting year for Isack Hadjar. As mentioned above, he is coming off a terrific rookie year, but will he be able to carry that momentum into his new team? Verstappen has had 7 drivers join him on Red Bull in his career so far, with the longest lasting of the bunch being Sergio Perez at only 3 seasons. Will Isack Hadjar finally be the right fit to drive next to Verstappen long term?
3. Will Max Verstappen be able to compete against a potentially superior Mercedes car if the gap in car performance ends up being large?
While Max Verstappen did not bring home his 5th drivers championship in 2025, he did impress a lot of fans with his ability to make up for the often lacklustre performance of his car. He kept the race for the title close until the very last second, despite it being known that the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were the superior car. If the rumours are true and Mercedes finds themselves far above the rest of the grid in overall car performance, will Max Verstappen be able to do it again?
What does 2026 hold for Red Bull?
As long as Max Verstappen remains at Red Bull, expectations will always be high. Heading into new regulations after arguably being the most dominant team in the previous regulations certainly won’t help expectations either.
The expectation for Red Bull in 2026 is that Max Verstappen will do everything in his power to ensure he has the #1 back on his car for 2027. If the car is good enough, 2026 could be Red Bull’s year.
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