Max Verstappen says patience will be key as he begins life with a radically reshaped Red Bull, admitting the team’s new car will take “time to adjust to” as he gears up for another bid for the world title.
The Dutch driver saw his run of four straight championships snapped in last season’s Abu Dhabi finale, where a late charge fell short of stopping Lando Norris from sealing his first crown.
Red Bull enter the 2026 campaign facing one of the biggest resets in their history. Sweeping new regulations have arrived, along with the added complexity of running in-house power units for the first time through a landmark partnership with Ford.
Unveiling the new car at a launch event in Detroit, Verstappen acknowledged the scale of the changes and accepted that adapting to the new package will be part of the challenge ahead.
“It’s all still a bit unknown,” Verstappen said. “It’s a very big change with the engine. The dimensions of the car have changed.
“For the drivers, it will take a bit of time to adjust, and that’s why it’s very important during the test days that we get our laps in.”
Verstappen took the title fight to the final race last season after nearly erasing a deficit of more than 100 points and is keen to build on that momentum.
“It’s always better to have an ending like that,” he said. “The motivation is very high. Everyone is very excited to start this new chapter.”
He is joined in Red Bull’s driver lineup by Isack Hadjar, who enjoyed an impressive rookie season with junior team Racing Bulls.
The 21-year-old Frenchman clinched his maiden podium at the Dutch Grand Prix in August and has high ambitions for the coming season.
“A maiden race win would be good, at least,” Hadjar said at the launch event.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies admitted the team faces major obstacles as it launches its new power unit.
“It’s going to be the biggest change of regulations in Formula 1 history, but that was not enough,” Mekies said. “We decided to do our own power unit with our strategic partner, Ford. It’s a crazy challenge. It’s going to be a year full of challenges.
“We are not naive. We know it is going to come with a certain amount of struggle. We know it is going to come with difficulties.”
