Red Bull's Engine Gamble: Verstappen Unfazed by 2026 F1 Regulations

Dec.18 - Max Verstappen says he's not worried Red Bull may fumble the ball with the all-new engine regulations in 2026.

The currently-dominant Formula 1 team has committed to designing and building its very own engines for the next set of rules in collaboration with Ford.

But recently, team boss Christian Horner sounded the alarm about the 2026 engine rules, warning that as currently written, drivers may need to lift the throttle on the straights to save electrical power.

Triple world champion Verstappen, however, said that does not mean Red Bull has discovered that it may have bitten off more than it can chew.

"I don't think we're stupid," he told the German language Motorsport-Magazin.com's print edition. "But we'll find out how good it will be.

"It's still not particularly exciting at the moment," the Dutchman insisted when probed about the internal mood at Red Bull about their 2026 engine.

What is clear, though, is that Red Bull's rivals are so far refusing to even entertain the idea of agreeing to tweaking the new rules.

"Nobody will agree," Verstappen said. "This sport is so political.

"When we push for something, others think that maybe we've found something that could be an advantage. So they say no.

"But it's always been that way - it's part of the sport. Sometimes you have to live with it because there's nothing you can do about it anyway."

However, when asked if the 2026 rules could be decisive in his deliberations about whether to extend his contract beyond 2028, Verstappen nodded: "Yes, possibly."

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