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WHY IS MAX VERSTAPPEN "NERVOUS" ABOUT THE NEW RED BULL-FORD 2026 ENGINE RESULTS

Mark Rushbrook confirms Red Bull-Ford has met its 2026 engine goals. Discover how this impacts Max Verstappen’s future in F1.

Why is Max Verstappen "nervous" about the new Red Bull-Ford 2026 engine results
Will the 2026 rules crush Verstappen?

Mark Rushbrook, Ford Motorsport's global director, gave an update on Red Bull's engine for the 2026 F1 rules, which is good news for Max Verstappen.

Red Bull is making its own engines for the first time in F1, instead of getting them from someone like Honda. Ford is there to help with tech stuff, and their partnership seems to be going well.

Since Red Bull has never powered an F1 car before, this is a big step into the unknown, and it could be risky for Verstappen.

The guy might have a bad season if Red Bull can't figure out how to make a good F1 engine right away.

The private test next month in Barcelona will be the first real look at the engine for Red Bull and Ford. Rushbrook says things are going as they planned.

Rushbrook told Motorsport.com that they are on schedule, but they won't know for sure until the car hits the track. That will be a big day and week, and they will see if the last three years of work paid off.

Even though things are moving forward, Ford is still a bit nervous. Rushbrook said that they can only learn so much from the test data so far.

Rushbrook admitted that they always get a little nervous when a car or engine goes out on the track for the first time.

He added that their computer tools are good for designing stuff, and their labs are good for working on the hardware, but they won't know everything until they put it all together on the track.

They can test a lot in their virtual setup, but they don't know if they will see things on the track that they couldn't see in the labs.

Red Bull-Ford Goals 'Met'

Rushbrook said that Ford and Red Bull have met the goals they set for their F1 engine at the start.

Now, they're focusing on how the engine drives, which Rushbrook said is super important for the new F1 engines.

When asked what parts of the new engine will be most important, Rushbrook said it's about power, performance, reliability, and how it drives.

He said that they've met their goals and that they're now working on how the engine drives and calibrating it.

They can do some of that with computers, some in the lab, and some with drivers in the simulator. That's what they're working on now.

A lot is still unknown for every F1 engine maker when it comes to the 2026 rules, which are the biggest changes ever in the sport.

This has made it hard to set goals.

Rushbrook said that everyone is trying to do the same thing; he thinks

Rushbrook said that their goals are based on the rules that everyone has to follow.

From there, they can figure out what's possible, and that's their goal. So, he thinks everyone has been trying to do the same thing.

Since everyone is dealing with the same physics, all the engineers probably came up with similar ideas.

LANDO NORRIS SINGLE: F1 CHAMPION CONFIRMS SPLIT FROM MAGUI CORCEIRO IN LEAKED VIDEO

F1 heartbreak: Analyse Lando Norris's split from Magui Corceiro, the "single man" leak, and their on-off relationship history.

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TikTok video captures Lando Norris confirming his breakup in Bahrain

Looks like Formula One world champion Lando Norris and his supermodel girlfriend, Magui Corceiro, have split up. The two started dating in 2023 and had a pretty on-and-off thing. She was right there with him when he won the title in Abu Dhabi – definitely an emotional night for both of them.

But now, it seems like it’s over. According to the Sun, a TikTok video caught Norris telling Carlos Sainz Jr that he’s “a single man". The audio’s not great, but you can hear Sainz asking if he and Magui are okay, and Lando just says, “No,” then adds that he’s single. This happened during pre-season testing in Bahrain while the drivers were getting their photos taken.

Magui, who’s also an actress from Portugal, used to date footballer Joao Felix before Lando. She and Norris broke up in 2024 and got back together, but it looks like they’ve called it quits again. People close to them say there’ve been signs for a while; things changed after Lando’s big championship win. The most obvious clue? Magui wasn’t at Lando’s big thank-you party in Bahrain, even though everyone else was there. Naturally, that got people talking.

Back in December, Magui broke down in tears after Norris won the world championship. She gave an interview to TV Guia, saying how happy they both were and how, in that moment, she forgot about the cameras. It all seemed pretty solid then.

Magui’s got a huge social following – around 800,000 fans on TikTok – and she’s done everything from acting in Portuguese dramas to modelling for brands like Intimissimi and Alo Yoga. She was even on Portugal’s Dancing with the Stars in 2020 and co-founded the eco swimwear brand Missus. She’s graced Vogue Portugal, too.

Norris himself talked about Magui in Vogue, saying they met a few years ago but only got together more recently. He called her “down to earth” and said he can just be himself around her. Apparently, he kept trying to get her into golf, but she hated it.

Neither of them has officially announced the breakup, but at this point, it looks like they’ve gone their separate ways.

DISASTER WARNING: OSCAR PIASTRI FEARS 2026 RACE STARTS COULD LEAD TO MULTI-CAR GRID ACCIDENTS

Oscar Piastri warns of chaos at the 2026 start! Discover why the new rules are a "recipe for disaster" and how McLaren found "warp speed."

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Piastri warns that clean launches now depend more on chance than skill

Oscar Piastri thinks there’s a lot of luck involved in getting a good start these days. Pre-season testing in Bahrain really made it clear that these new 2026 F1 rules have turned race starts into a much bigger headache.

He’s spoken up about this before, especially since so many teams and drivers are running into fresh problems under the new regs. The big one? F1 dropped the MGU-H from the engine formula, and suddenly, starts just aren’t as smooth. It’s a mess.

After last week’s first official test in Bahrain, Piastri didn’t sugarcoat it. He called the 2026 start a “recipe for disaster” because of how wildly different every driver’s launch is. Even the FIA and F1 noticed, so they decided to test out a longer starting procedure during the second test.

Here’s what they did: during the second test, they delayed the starting lights, giving drivers more time to spool up their turbos. Ferrari’s 2026 engine features a smaller turbo, allowing its drivers to maintain lower revs for longer periods. Others? They’re sitting there for up to ten seconds, just waiting.

Piastri says the new procedures and the extra week of testing in Bahrain helped a bit; things aren’t quite as all over the place now. But he’s honest: there’s still a ton of luck involved if you want to get a clean launch and avoid turbo lag or wheelspin.

Holding high revs to prime the turbo, now that the MGU-H is gone, is just one of the traps drivers can fall into. Piastri figures it’s going to take a while before all 22 drivers on the grid are nailing their starts every time.

He summed it up at the press conference in Bahrain: “Mine yesterday wasn’t so bad. I was last, but I also overtook four cars. There’s still a lot of luck involved, and we’re learning what makes a good start and what makes a bad one.

“There are a few pitfalls you can run into that cause problems. Managing the energy and the whole procedure – that’s one thing.

“The way we start is just totally different from last year. It’s trickier across the board. Some drivers are handling it; some just aren’t.”

On the other hand, McLaren looked like they were getting the hang of it by the last day of testing. Jolyon Palmer, watching from the sidelines, was impressed by Piastri’s practice start but even more blown away by Lando Norris.

Palmer thought McLaren had cracked the code. On Friday, Piastri shot off the line in the morning, but Norris outdid everyone in the final session. Palmer joked that Norris hit “warp speed".

He said on the F1 broadcast, “Warp speed, see you mate! That’s a brilliant start from Lando. McLaren is there. I’ve seen it all day. Oscar got a great start. In the pit lane, it looks good.

“I’d love to see that next to the Ferrari, honestly, because it’s really impressive. Their start is much better than Red Bull’s. I’d say it’s even better than Mercedes.”

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