After losing out on both championships in 2025, Red Bull are heading into the 2026 season with a mission to reclaim what was once theirs.
Red Bull Racing, the team who for the last 4 years leading up to 2025 had won at least one of the two championships, whether that be drivers’, constructors’, or both, finished last season having won neither. Being the 5th most successful team in the history of the sport, this drop in form will have been a major disappointment for the team.
Probably the biggest news from last season for Red Bull was the sacking of Christian Horner and the departure of Helmut Marko from the team. As a result of this, Red Bull employed Laurent Mekies as their new team principal, and it is clear that this change in leadership made a positive impact on the team. Performances in races improved, team morale seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable, and the overall operation of the team just ran a lot more smoothly.
With the new regulations coming this season, and a level playing field set, Red Bull will hope to drive themselves to victory once more and put an end to the recent dominance of McLaren.
Max Verstappen seeks to reclaim the top spot
Having spent 4 consecutive years as the number one driver on the grid, it is no surprise that losing the title of reigning world champion will have come as a bit of a blow to Max Verstappen. Despite having a comeback for the ages last season, going from being over 100 points behind the championship leader to staying well within contention until the very end, the task of catching McLaren driver Lando Norris proved to be too much in the end.
There was a lot of talk last season regarding Verstappen’s future at Red Bull and whether or not he would jump ship to a team like Mercedes. Given that he chose to stay, there will undoubtedly be expectations within the team to deliver him a car that can aid him in reclaiming his place at the top. If the team fails to deliver, then Verstappen’s future at the team may come into question once again. He recently spoke about how he feels he is definitely ‘closer to the end’ of his Formula One career, therefore the team’s performance under the new regulations this year will likely be a key decider of when that end will arrive.
Nevertheless, we all know by now to expect great things from a driver like Max Verstappen, and it seems pretty likely that this year will be no different.
Isack Hadjar and the curse of the second seat
After scoring an impressive 51 points and a podium in his rookie season just last year, Isack Hadjar will be looking to further establish himself as one to watch amongst the grid. Having been so close to becoming the champion of Formula 2 in 2024, Hadjar has been proving himself long before stepping foot in Formula One. Therefore, the promotion to Red Bull from Racing Bulls after just one season seemed only natural for the young talent.
However, it is a well known conspiracy within Formula One that the second seat at Red Bull Racing comes with a curse. For years, drivers filling that second spot have tried to hold their own against Max Verstappen, yet none ever seem to come close. That being said, Hadjar performed consistently better than a number of drivers with more experience than him throughout last season, so I wouldn’t bet against him being the one to finally break the supposed curse on that second seat.
Now driving for a team with a reputation for replacing their drivers mid season, the burden falls on Isack Hadjar to prove to himself, his team, and the world that he is worthy of investing in and doesn’t deserve to suffer the same fate as his predecessors.
Red Bull’s confidence after testing
Sporting their new power unit in partnership with Ford, Red Bull’s performance looked promising throughout both the Barcelona shakedown and Bahrain testing, with both drivers feeling as though it was a positive start to the year for the team. Off the back of their dip in form last year, the team will be looking to build on the momentum from testing and prove themselves as the team to beat once more.
With teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari having appeared to be very successful in testing, it seems that Red Bull will be facing some stiff competition this season, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who will come out on top in December.
Feature image courtesy of Formula 1