MEET THE RB22: A FIRST LOOK AT MAX VERSTAPPEN’S 2026 CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGER
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar debuted the Ford-powered RB22. Analysis of the 2026 aero loophole and the "coke bottle" design.
Red Bull turned heads right away at the Barcelona shakedown, with Isack Hadjar setting the pace in what’s basically the real version of Max Verstappen’s 2026 car.
The team from Milton Keynes was one of seven that hit the track on day one of F1’s first pre-season test. Each team can pick any three out of the five days to run at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during this private shakedown.
This year, Formula 1 is running a closed-door test at Montmelo so teams can iron out problems with their new cars before the season kicks off. The 2026 rules bring the biggest shake-up ever—new engines, new aero, new chassis, new tyres. Everything’s changing.
People in the paddock are already buzzing about Red Bull possibly exploiting a loophole in the 2026 engine regs, which could let them crank up combustion rates. But now, rival teams have spotted something else on the car.
Red Bull’s tiny sidepods in Barcelona have everyone scratching their heads.
According to SPEEDWEEK, rival teams are genuinely baffled by the sidepod design Red Bull rolled out on day one. The RB22 Hadjar looked a lot different from the early renders Red Bull showed off at their Detroit launch.
Testing lap times doesn’t tell you much, but those sidepods definitely got people talking. They’re way smaller than what Red Bull first teased, especially at the back of the car. The design is super narrow.
Looks like Red Bull found a clever way to arrange their radiators and heat exchangers, giving them more freedom to shape the bodywork for extra downforce in that “coke bottle” section—the slim bit between the floor and the engine cover.
Gary Anderson says this isn’t a ‘zero sidepod’ like Mercedes tried.
Some people are comparing Red Bull’s sidepods to Mercedes’ zero-pod concept from 2022. Mercedes gave up on that idea in 2023 because it just didn’t work. Gary Anderson, who used to be tech director at Jordan, doesn’t think Red Bull’s gone that extreme for 2026. But Red Bull kept the real look of Verstappen and Hadjar’s car under wraps at their launch.
Anderson told The Race, “If you compare Red Bull’s first renders to the studio photos, the sidepods are clearly smaller, and the upper surface is totally different. Is it a ‘zero sidepod’ solution? It’s smaller than most, sure, but not really zero. The radiator intake is about the same size as others we’ve seen.”
Verstappen got his first taste of the RB22 on Tuesday morning. Red Bull kept testing on day two in Barcelona, and Verstappen even brought out the first red flag after a little off-track excursion. No big deal—he got going again soon after.
MAX VERSTAPPEN CLAIMS POLE IN MERCEDES-AMG GT3 AMID F1 RULE CONTROVERSY
Max Verstappen lands pole in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nurburgring while slamming F1’s "Mario Kart" battery regulations.
Max Verstappen just landed pole position in a Mercedes – and he didn’t miss the chance to take another shot at Formula 1's new rules. He’s using the gap between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix to race in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, getting ready for the 24-hour event in May.
He’s in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Winward, running under the Verstappen Racing banner, teaming up with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon for this four-hour race. Their qualifying run? Verstappen's squad nailed the fastest lap: 7:51.751 around the legendary circuit.
Honestly, this weekend at the Nurburgring is a breath of fresh air for Verstappen. He’s been vocal about his dislike for F1's latest regulations, which split the power pretty much evenly between traditional engines and electric systems.
These rules are some of the biggest changes F1 has ever had, forcing drivers to constantly watch their battery levels and use a boost button for overtakes. Verstappen didn’t hide his feelings, saying about the NLS race: “At least you can drive flat out without looking after the battery.” He’s been slamming F1’s direction for months, and after retiring late in China, he was running sixth; he doubled down, calling the system “Mario Kart". It’s not racing, he said. “We’re boosting past. Then you run out of battery, and they boost back past you again. For me, it’s just a joke.”
Verstappen made it clear: it’s not about sour grapes or losing. “I’d say the same if I were winning because I care about the racing product. It’s fundamentally flawed. It’s painful. It’ll ruin the sport eventually, and it’ll come back to bite them.”
An old press conference of Verstappen warning about the 2026 regulations popped up again online. He kept going: “You could have seen this coming ages ago. They should have listened in 2023. Maybe it’s a lesson, so this doesn’t happen again. You’ve got to be careful with how you say things, but we’re talking. They know where we stand as drivers. Some love it because they’re winning, and sure, if you have an advantage, why give it up?
“But talk to most drivers; this isn’t what we want, and I don’t think real fans want it either. It’s political. Some have the edge and want to keep it. I get that; I’m not stupid. But it’s just not good for the sport. Hopefully, we'll get rid of it soon.”
DISCOVER WHY JONATHAN WHEATLEY BELIEVES RED BULL’S STRUGGLES FUEL MAX VERSTAPPEN’S OUTRAGE
Jonathan Wheatley claims Max Verstappen's criticism of the "anti-racing" 2026 regulations reflects Red Bull's early struggles.
Jonathan Wheatley thinks Max Verstappen’s harsh words about Formula 1’s 2026 rules say as much about Red Bull’s current struggles as they do about the new regulations.
Verstappen hasn’t held back at all; he’s been one of the loudest voices against F1’s new energy-harvesting era, calling the rules “anti-racing” during pre-season testing.
Just two races in, Verstappen’s only got eight points. After Shanghai, he walked away without scoring anything. He finished the sprint race in ninth just outside the points, mostly because he lost ground when his car bogged down from a lack of battery power right off the line.
Things didn’t get better in the main race. Verstappen tried to claw his way back, but he had to park his RB22 because of an ERS cooling problem.
He didn’t sugarcoat his feelings. Verstappen slammed the new energy management rules, energy harvesting, and super clipping, all of it, as “fundamentally flawed". He called the racing itself a "joke". For him, the whole thing’s starting to feel more like Mario Kart than real racing.
“I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch and have been practising Mario Kart, actually!” Verstappen joked when someone asked if sim time gives drivers an advantage now. “Honestly, I’m getting good at finding the mushrooms. The blue shell’s a bit tougher, but I’m working on it. No rockets yet, but they’re coming.”
He also warned F1’s leaders that these new rules could “eventually ruin the sport; it’ll come back to bite them.”
Not everyone’s moved by Verstappen’s complaints. Juan Pablo Montoya went as far as telling him, "There's the door.” Guenther Steiner, the former Haas boss, said it came off as nothing more than “toys out of the pram when it doesn’t go his way.”
Meanwhile, things look very different for Charles Leclerc. He’s been fighting for podiums in Australia and China and is loving the new era.
“I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc said. “Yeah, sometimes the overtakes feel a little fake if someone messes up their battery management; you get this huge speed difference. But we’re all learning when to push and when to risk it, and that’s creating some great overtaking spots. Today was a perfect example.”
Wheatley, watching all this, figures opinions on the new rules depend on how well one's doing. If you ask the guys up front, Ferrari and Mercedes, they love the new racing. The teams chasing them? Not so much.
He told reporters after the Chinese Grand Prix, “Talk to the Ferrari drivers; they’ll say it was a brilliant day. If you’re not winning, you just want to be able to race cleanly. Honestly, I didn’t see anything fake; every driver was fighting hard and fair. The midfield battles are fantastic; there’s a lot to like.”
And as for Verstappen’s comments? Wheatley gets it. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to point fingers.
