Martin Brundle says Christian Horner has already made a spot-on 2026 Max Verstappen prediction

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Red Bull Racing are about to start their first full Formula 1 season without Christian Horner as their team principal, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t still had a major influence on this year’s car.

For the first time, Red Bull will be using their own power units this season after signing a partnership with Ford.

Red Bull initially sought a relationship with Porsche, but under Christian Horner’s stewardship, they ended up signing an agreement with the American automotive giants.

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Horner hired hundreds of engineers from rivals Mercedes to build up the Red Bull Powertrains project, but was dismissed by the Anglo-Austrian drinks company after last year’s British Grand Prix.

Now, Max Verstappen and new teammate Isack Hadjar are preparing for the 2026 campaign based on several major decisions made by Horner before his exit.

Martin Brundle and Ted Kravitz were reflecting on Red Bull’s first week of testing in Barcelona and think one promise Horner made to Verstappen last season has already come true.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Martin Brundle agrees with Christian Horner’s prediction on Max Verstappen staying at Red Bull

Speaking on The F1 Show, Kravitz said: “Martin, can we play the first round of was Christian Horner right?

“And the first thing about ‘Was Christian Horner right?’ was that when he was trying to reassure Max Verstappen not to bail out to Mercedes, it’ll be fine.

“We don’t know who’s going to be good in 2026. Was Christian Horner right in that, actually, the Red Bull Powertrains engine is very good? It’s reliable.

“They have the compression ratio loophole, we think, even though they seem to be denying various bits of it. And the car looks amazing.

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“Was Christian Horner right by reassuring Max that 2026 Red Bull will be OK?”

Brundle replied: “Well, it seems to be the way, doesn’t it?

“I think the power unit’s performed well in both teams, and it just looks like they’ve had a number of years now and huge amounts of money.

“Even going around the factory nearly two years ago, you’re like, oh my god, this is incredible.

“So, we can’t be that surprised that they’ve actually put a decent product out, but we’ll see how it goes with the fuel, it’s going to be super important this year. The regeneration, the raceability of the cars.”

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Martin Brundle defends Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar after Barcelona crash

Verstappen enjoyed two separate spells in the RB22 in Barcelona, jumping in the car on day two before driving more than 100 laps on the final day of action.

Hadjar was fastest on day one at the Circuit de Catalunya, but on a rainy second day, he found the barriers, setting Red Bull back in their preparations.

F1 insiders were reminded of Pierre Gasly after Hadjar’s crash, as his fellow Frenchman also had an off during his testing phase with Red Bull.

Brundle was very sympathetic towards last year’s standout rookie driver and said: “I don’t think we should thrash Hadjar too much for sticking it in the hedge because I would imagine a few torque spikes in these cars until they smooth out, until they sort it out will not be at all unusual.

“We saw Lewis Hamilton spin off, didn’t we, earlier on today, that looked like the same sort of thing.

“So, especially in wet conditions, I’d imagine the power delivery needs quite a lot of smoothing out yet on all of them.”