With a crucial race weekend coming up in Qatar, the Red Bull and McLaren Formula One race teams are fully focused on a championship battle royal as Max Verstappen attempts themes audacious come back in F1 history.
Yet back at base the rest of the teams are now fully focused on the huge technical regulation changes coming in 2026. By now the power trains are mostly locked in as is much of the chases design as in just nine weeks time the new breed of F1 cars will take to the track in Barcelona.
There’s been big amount of paddock chatter as to who is in the best shape to take on F1’s new era, with the Mercedes self promotion PR team in full flow. The Brackley based team aced the previous big engine rules change in 2014, mostly due to an unlimited budget granted by Stuttgart together with their engineers finding the best solution to the MGU-H heat recovery systems which others failed to master.
Much has changed since F1 2014
Yet much has changed in the past twelve seasons, the power unit manufacturers are now restricted on how much they can spend in their research and development for the new powertrains. Bench testing along with other resource restrictions are also in place, so no one manufacturer can blitz their designs with unlimited amounts of cash and time.
Renault have decided their engine department in Viry-Chatillon is not up to the task and closed its F1 production capabilities. Audi are joining the party and the German brand has experienced dominant success in other top flight racing categories.
Having lost years of competing at the front whilst running an underfunded and underpowered Renault V6 hybrid, Red Bull finally found success in their partnership with Honda. Yet the Japanese manufacturer initially decided they were pulling out of F1 almost five yers ago, so Red Bull elected to do the unthinkable.
Honda did change their mind and offered to remain the works supplier of power units to the Red Bull owned teams, but by then the decision had been made that Milton Keynes would take their destiny into their own hands.
Ford step up their contribution to Red Bull
Over those five year’s Red Bull have been recruiting experienced powertrain engineers, with a significant number coming from Mercedes when the FIA decided the F1 engines would be frozen in terms of development from 2022. One of the most significant figures moving from Brixworth is Ben Hodgkinson, who is the technical director for RBPT.
The arrival of Ford on the scene boosted the Red Bull Powertrains programme and initially the US giant automaker was expected to consult only on the electrical aspects of Red Bull programme. For whatever reason, this all changed in 2024 as Ford motorsport’s chief, mark Rusbrook explained:
“Based on our initial discussions, we were only going to contribute to the electrical parts of the 2026 engine, but now we are also contributing to the turbocharger and testing rigs for the combustion engine, also because Ford already had knowledge or equipment for that.”
The collaboration with Ford has become all encompassing and so now the Red Bull F1 engine programme should not be belittled. Dr. Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull in fact have a significant advantage over their rivals in the high mental capacity which Max Verstappen possesses.
FIA recent rule change irritates Ferrari
Marko outlines Red Bull advantage
“Internally we are happy,” he says, “but like the others we don’t know the numbers from our competitors. But it’s not only the combustion engine, it’s fuel, it’s battery… and the car. And it’s also what I think is a big advantage for us.
“The driver has to be smart and clever how to use the power from the battery. And there is one driver who can drive fast and think. So that should be an advantage,” claimed the 83 year old Austrian.
Whilst he didn’t mention Verstappen by name, it was clear as to who Marko was referring to. The world champion has demonstrated he has an finely honed instinct on how to handle the F1 cars he is given, which gives him a huge amount of mental bandwidth to consider other elements of racing at the pinnacle of motorsport.
The direction in which the manufacturers decided to proceed with the new powertrains, forced the FIA to reconsider the design of the chassis and the aerodynamics of the 2026. Further, they decided to strip around 50% of the current downforce levels from the new breed of F1 cars in an effort to ensure drivers could follow each other closely without destroying their tyres.
Marko vs. Mekies: The Battle That Could Decide Verstappen’s 2026 Teammate
FIA concerns over 2026 PU’s
There will be active aerodynamics which sees the driver control the angle of the front and rear wings at different parts of the lap together with a push to pass energy boost from the battery which unlike DRS can be deployed anywhere on the lap.
Initial simulations run by many of the drivers were negative with the FIA being forced into a ‘banging of heads’ gathering in Bahrain earlier this year. There were concerns over whether the 50% electrical contribution to the overall power output could be maintained throughout the entire lap at circuits where braking – and therefore energy recovery for the battery – is limited.
The manufacturers rejected a proposal to reduce the electrical component to around 40%, although the FIA retains the power to make swinging changes should some of the fears be realised.
McLaren deceived their drivers during Las Vegas Grand Prix
Huge complexity will favour experienced F1 drivers
The teams already struggle at times with setting their cars up correctly for each track configuration and the transient weather conditions, but in 2026 this aspect of the team’s weekend will increase hugely in its complexity. Tough choices will need to be made on how to best couple the energy management with downforce levels, where on the circuit to harvest energy and where to deploy it.
The drivers will be key in making these decisions, which of course once parc ferme is declared are set for the rest of the weekend – right or wrong. This is where experienced and canny drivers like Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen will add huge amounts of value given the headroom of thinking power they regularly display.
In Max Verstappen Red Bull have a prime asset in terms of his immense capabilities in a less than optimum race car. He has proven his worth this year in the troublesome RB21 and still remains in the championship fight.
Having the absolute best power unit may not be the silver bullet that it was for Mercedes in 2026, but having a driver who can process vast quantities of information quickly may be the deciding factor – and in Verstappen, Red Bull have the very best.
McLaren admit Verstappen “out psyched” Norris in Vegas
The third running of the las Vegas Grand Prix was an extraordinary weekend. Charles Leclerc briefly raised Ferrari\s hopes by being quickest in FP1 whilst Yuki Tsunoda was third behind Alex Albon but a tenth quicker than his world champion team mate.
Red Flags in effect cancelled the last twenty minutes of the FP2 session, meaning the teams lost valuable data being unable to complete long run race simulations.
Come Saturday morning the rain was ever present and the session was run mostly with cars on the intermediate Pirelli tyres. At the start of qualifying, the rain had intensified and those who opted for the intermediates were quickly recalled to fit the full rain blue sided Pirelli P1…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
