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.
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.
THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON
After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.
Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.
Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.
That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.
He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.
Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.
Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.
Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.
What's Hamilton saying about quitting?
When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.
At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.
Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.
He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.
In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.
MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.
Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.
The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.
The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.
Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.
The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.
George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.
Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.
Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.
Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.
Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.
Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.
The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.