Max Verstappen admits Red Bull ‘unknown’ for 2026 F1 season

Max Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull’s prospects this season are an “unknown” until the cars take to the track, given the regulation shake-up.

New engine and chassis regulations threaten to alter the order on the grid in 2026, as Red Bull builds its own engine for the first time alongside Ford.

Red Bull unveiled their striking new car livery at a launch event in Detroit on Thursday night and four-time F1 world champion Verstappen, who just missed out on a fifth consecutive title by two points last year, admitted the drivers will need some time to adjust to the new rules, which include “active aero” and “overtake mode” to replace DRS.

“It’s all still a bit unknown,” Verstappen said. “Of course, it’s a very big, big change with the engine, the car, as you can see also the dimension of the car has changed a bit.

“So for us drivers as well initially, we’ll take a bit of time to adjust. And that’s why it’s very important during the test days that we are getting our laps, so we can optimise everything as well as possible.”

Verstappen was present alongside team principal Laurent Mekies and new teammate Isack Hadjar – his fourth different teammate in 15 months – as Red Bull revealed their throwback livery on Thursday.

“The gloss is cool, it is a more retro look, the colour is really bold and blue, I really like it,” Verstappen said. “Seeing it in real life was special and I was really impressed and surprised by how much of a change it is.

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“The whole look brings back a lot of great memories of back in the day when I was just starting out in F1 and everything was new.

“I’m excited to drive a car with a completely different look. I’m not sure the mechanics will be happy about the time it’ll take to keep this clean!

“But it’s going to look really slick and will be nice for everyone to see out on track.”

The first of three pre-season tests takes place in private in Barcelona from 26-30 January. The new season starts on 8 March with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.