JUST IN: MAX VERSTAPPEN TARGETS TITLE RETURN AFTER PROMISING FIRST 2026 ENGINE RUN
Red Bull's first in-house engine, the RBPT DM01, exceeds expectations in Barcelona as Max Verstappen prepares for a 2026 title bid.
Max Verstappen wants his F1 crown back in 2026, but it all comes down to whether Red Bull’s brand-new engine is up to the challenge.
Last year, Verstappen’s winning streak finally ended. He missed a fifth straight title by just two points. Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, edged him out to take his first championship—even though Verstappen racked up the most wins and poles. Weirdly, Max never actually led the standings at any point in 2025. That hadn’t happened to him since 2020. Still, he wrapped up the season with eight Grand Prix wins and eight poles, while Red Bull kept pushing upgrades till the bitter end.
But there was a risk. Red Bull’s focus on the 2025 car might have hurt their 2026 project. Team boss Laurent Mekies tried to steer them away from the slide they’d started under Christian Horner, but he wasn’t convinced it made sense to throw everything at 2026 like the other teams.
And that might become a real problem if Red Bull’s standards slip. Ferrari stopped developing their 2025 car as early as April, and McLaren switched focus to 2026 regulations by July. Pretty much everyone else jumped on the new rules early, since F1 is changing just about everything—engines, aero, chassis, tyres. It’s the biggest shake-up the sport’s ever seen.
Red Bull has even more on their plate. For the first time, they’ll build their own engine instead of buying from someone else. Honda planned to leave but then signed up as Aston Martin’s factory partner, which left Horner—while he was still around—scrambling to launch Red Bull Powertrains.
Jan Lammers, who’s been around the block in F1 and at Le Mans, thinks Red Bull would actually be thrilled just to land in the top three next year. He’s not so sure Verstappen would settle for that. “I think Red Bull would be very happy if they could immediately run in the top six,” Lammers told RacingNews365. “If they can get into that top three, that’s a good start. I don’t know where Max draws the line for himself.”
Red Bull’s first in-house engine will run in both their main team and Racing Bulls in 2026. They’ve brought Ford on as a technical partner to help with the hybrid side of things. Building an engine for a brand-new ruleset is a massive leap for them—they’re used to being a customer, not starting from scratch. Now they have to nail a power unit that splits its energy 50/50 between electric and combustion, and it runs on advanced sustainable fuels.
To boost their odds, Red Bull poached a bunch of engine experts from Mercedes. That move has other teams a bit nervous, suspecting Red Bull might have found a loophole in the new engine rules.
So far, things don’t look too bad. The first signs from last week’s shakedown test in Barcelona were promising for their RBPT DM01 unit. But Red Bull isn’t satisfied yet. They’re still working out the kinks in how the engine delivers its power, after spotting a few rough edges during the first pre-season test of 2026.
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
