Max previews 2026: 'Amazing to see how well the team prepared'
Published on 26 February 2026 by Stefan Meens
Ahead of the start of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, Max Verstappen spoke to Viaplay to preview the new season. With big regulation changes affecting both power unit and aerodynamic design, this year’s campaign provides numerous challenges for teams and drivers alike.
2026 marks the first time that Oracle Red Bull Racing is powered by their own power unit. The six days of pre-season testing proved a vital time of gaining an understanding of the progress made by the Milton Keynes based squad. “In general, I reflect on it pretty positively as we didn’t have many issues. I think it’s extraordinary how we put together a brand-new engine with so many new people. It’s amazing how well structured it’s all been.”
The Dutchman added: “Of course, in terms of performance, we’ll need to take another step to fight at the front, because realistically I don’t think we’d be able to fight for the win at the moment. To be fair, we didn’t expect that going into this new era of regulations, with our own power unit.”
Max was not the only person in the paddock who was positively surprised by Red Bull's progress, with competitors also impressed by the new power unit. “They probably thought it would just explode, but we have done a super job and we can be really proud.”
Energy management will be crucial in this new era with 50% of the power unit’s energy output coming from the larger battery. The energy deployment will also be track specific. “It’ll be more difficult than previous years. You knew that some tracks were better than others in terms of energy, but now it’s really extreme. Bahrain is one of the better tracks in terms of energy management, so it doesn't show as much. Melbourne will be one of the worser ones with the long straights and not many heavy braking zones. Small details in how to charge the battery will have a huge impact on performance, which is complicated. We’re spending a lot of time in the simulator to prepare.”
The new challenges that the new cars provide are not a problem for Max. Nevertheless, he does not enjoy driving the cars as much. “In the end, anything that’s driven on the limit is a challenge. So it doesn’t really matter what car it is. Some things are more fun to drive than other things. To just try and explains this to the average viewer and even just to myself when I’m looking at the data, it makes me wonder if this is really what we want”, refers the four time champ to the inability of the drivers to push the car over a whole race, as the battery requires constant charging.
“We’ll just adapt, that’s not the problem as you just need to be clever about it. It’s just not as fun”, elaborates Max, who does not think that being successful will change his mind. “My results don’t matter in it, it’s about enjoying it. Even if you’re the best in what you do, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not going to go well. I think that’s the same for everyone.”
Despite it all, come Sunday 6 March Max will be on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix in a season that will feature a development race off the track. “We’ll see a lot of changes throughout the year. It’s a constant development as Formula 1 cars are never perfect, not even our 2023 car was. There is always stuff you’d like to improve; it’s just some seasons you’ve got a better overall package than others. Regardless, we’ll keep pushing.”
