Melbourne is almost upon us, and so we approach F1’s most significant technical reset for a generation.
For Red Bull, even if we ignore FIA’s new regs for 2026, it’s also the dawn of a new era. For the first time, the team based in Milton Keynes has moved on from being just a chassis builder and is now a full-scale works manufacturer, as they debut the highly anticipated Red Bull Ford Powertrains unit.
Here is ReadMotorsport’s preview for Red Bull’s 2026 campaign.
Red Bull/Ford’s 2026 gamble
This season marks the end of Red Bull’s reliance on external engine partners. The new DM01 power unit is ultimately borne of a massive recruitment drive from, mainly, Mercedes and their new strategic partnership with Ford.
Early data from the two Bahrain tests suggests that while Mercedes may hold a slight edge in peak Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) performance, Red Bull has mastered the electrical energy deployment of the new engine.
Mercedes’ George Russell noted during testing that the efficiency of RB22’s ‘Manual Override’ (effectively the 2026 DRS replacement) looked several steps ahead of the rest of the grid.
Red Bull 2026: Technical snapshot
| Feature | Detail | Impact |
| Power Unit | RBPT-Ford DM01 | 50/50 Power Split (ICE/Electric). |
| Chassis | RB22 | Smaller, lighter, and Adrian Newey-less for the first time. |
| Active Aero | “X-Mode” & “Z-Mode” | Superior stability in low-drag mode. |
| Reliability | High | Completed over 340 laps in Bahrain with minimal issues. |
Driver dynamics: Master and protege
Red Bull’s 2026 lineup—their first new partnership since the departure of Christian Horner—has a more stable look about it.
Max Verstappen remains the undisputed master, of course, and not just of Red Bull, but in Isack Hadjar, it feels as if team principal Laurent Mekies has brought in one who is more than just a foil for the Dutchman. The ‘sink or swim’ philosophy of the recent past may have evolved.
Max has been typically forthright in his view of the new era, describing the cars as “Formula E on steroids“—a reference to the new energy-management requirement—but the young Frenchman has kept his powder dry and quietly impressed in testing.
However, the gap between him and Verstappen in long-run simulations in testing was approximately 0.4s, a margin Hadjar must look to close as the season progresses if Red Bull is to challenge for the constructors’ title.
The bookies’ view: Is the reign over?
The bookmakers are cautious. While Red Bull has been the runaway favourite for most of the 2020s, the uncertainty of a brand-new engine manufacturer has pushed its odds out behind Mercedes and Ferrari.
2026 F1 championship betting odds
| Category | Selection | Odds (Avg) |
| Drivers’ Champion | Max Verstappen | 3/1 (2nd fav) |
| Constructors’ Champion | Red Bull Racing | 7/1 (4th fav) |
| Drivers’ Champion | Isack Hadjar | 100/1 |
| Winning Car (Melbourne) | Red Bull-Ford | 3/1 |
ReadMotorsport tip: Verstappen at 3/1 for the drivers’ title is still decent value, even if the Red Bull-Ford engine is 2% down on power as has been suggested. Max’s ability to extract everything from a car that isn’t the fastest on the grid should never be underestimated, and the car’s ‘Active Aero’ and energy recovery maps have offered them hope.
Red Bull verdict:
As bizarre as it seems, given their recent success, Red Bull enters 2026 as something of a wildcard. The best driver, but with an unproven engine, will make for fascinating viewing.
But if they can survive the ‘power unit war’ of the opening six races before the FIA’s new compression ratio tests begin in June, they could steal a march on a field that looks likely to yo-yo across most of 2026 as they come to terms with the new battery-heavy formula.
ReadMotorsport prediction: Max to come up short in the title race, but several podiums and a couple of wins. Isack to hold his own in the top ten, and a fourth-place in the constructors’ championship.
