On Thursday in the United States, Red Bull will reveal their latest RB22 Formula 1 vehicle. This comes after a challenging 2025 season where Max Verstappen almost closed a 104-point gap to secure his fifth consecutive championship. Nonetheless, this past performance holds little significance because F1 is transitioning to new technical rules covering both the chassis and power unit aspects, and the Red Bull organization is also undergoing significant leadership changes.
Significant Changes at Red Bull
Numerous transformations have occurred. Indeed, the squad’s current configuration is markedly dissimilar to its state when it competed as the reigning world champion during the 2024 season.
Over the last two years, several prominent individuals have departed the Milton Keynes-based team. These include team principal Christian Horner, chief technical officer Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, head of strategy Will Courtenay, and advisor Helmut Marko – with Courtenay and Marko being the most recent departures.
New personnel have assumed greater roles; Laurent Mekies, formerly team principal of Racing Bulls, has been moved up to the senior Red Bull squad. Pierre Wache now guides the technical division, free from Newey’s direct supervision, and Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, has accepted expanded duties as the head of race engineering.
Helmut Marko’s exit is improbable to cause significant issues due to his decreasing sway and minimal effect on on-track results – in contrast to Courtenay’s move to McLaren. However, Red Bull will continue to employ principal strategy engineer Hannah Schmitz. Schmitz is recognized for several pivotal strategic decisions that led to victories, notably her choice to keep drivers out while both McLaren cars entered the pits during a safety car period at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix.
Pierre Wache, Chief Engineer of Performance Engineering at Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Helmut Marko
Photo by: Erik Junius
Concurrently, Red Bull is featuring a refreshed driver roster. Yuki Tsunoda was moved to a reserve capacity following a less-than-stellar 2025 season. Isack Hadjar, conversely, has been advanced to the primary team for merely his second year in the global championship. The French driver performed admirably in his debut season with Racing Bulls, outperforming his teammate Liam Lawson and securing his initial podium placement.
Red Bull’s Primary Obstacle
Nevertheless, the most significant alteration for Red Bull simultaneously represents its greatest hurdle: developing and utilizing proprietary power units, in partnership with Ford.
This choice arose subsequent to Honda’s announced withdrawal from F1, a decision the Japanese manufacturer later reconsidered upon recognizing Red Bull’s heightened competitiveness – yet the team had already fully dedicated itself to its new venture.
Nonetheless, establishing oneself as a fresh engine producer in F1 presents a formidable task, as exemplified by Honda’s prior struggles with McLaren. Honda entered the sport a year after the introduction of the 2014 regulations, a timing that ultimately hindered them as they dedicated years to closing the performance gap to competitors. While this specific scenario will not replicate for Red Bull-Ford, achieving immediate parity with veteran engine suppliers, even under revised rules focusing on electric propulsion, would be an extraordinary feat.
The contributions from several ex-Mercedes engineers and Ford’s specialized knowledge will prove especially advantageous in this undertaking.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Erik Junius
Red Bull’s Foremost Advantage
Undeniably, Red Bull’s most valuable resource is Verstappen. The four-time global titleholder once more demonstrated his exceptional skill in 2025, embarking on an improbable pursuit for the championship that saw him finish just two points behind Lando Norris in the F1 rankings, even though his Red Bull vehicle was considered, on paper, less rapid than the McLaren.
Naturally, Verstappen’s potential achievements in 2026 will be contingent upon the competitiveness of his racing machine. No individual pilot genuinely exceeds the capabilities of their vehicle; the Dutch racer has undoubtedly excelled at extracting maximum performance from his, yet it’s debatable whether even he could transform a mid-tier car into a championship challenger.
Red Bull’s Ambitions for F1 2026
Given its track record as the most decorated team in the 2020s thus far, Red Bull’s aspirations can realistically extend no further than securing triumphs and potentially another championship. Indeed, the ultimate success of the upcoming RB22 largely hinges on the performance and dependability of the Red Bull-Ford power unit. Subsequently, this factor will impact the team’s prospects of retaining Verstappen for seasons to come.
