Max Verstappen has been told why he ‘shouldn’t’ be able to win in Red Bull’s F1 car

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Max Verstappen starts the 2026 Formula 1 season not knowing whether his run of competing for the title in each of the last five campaigns will continue.

The Dutchman has remained loyal to Red Bull for nearly a decade now and is very much the face of their operation.

Fans have become so used to seeing him at the front of the pack that if a drivers’ championship challenge isn’t possible, then it’s hard to see him staying at his current team.

Verstappen is excited by their current project, but will he want to stick around and develop an engine long term, that may not be up to scratch yet? He can’t waste his best years.

Prove me wrong: Red Bull replacing Christian Horner with Laurent Mekies was the best decision they made in 2025

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Red Bull won’t develop their car for Verstappen, according to David Croft, if they fear he might leave the team soon anyway.

On the other hand, Ralf Schumacher expects Verstappen to change, otherwise risk struggling in 2026. He believes that he’ll need to adapt his driving style.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s prediction has already come true after Racing Bulls’ first lap with Red Bull engine

Alex Palou believes Max Verstappen ‘shouldn’t’ be able to win in Red Bull’s F1 car

Verstappen is scared by the 2026 regulations and is wary of the big gaps there could be between the teams at the start of the season.

It happens every time a new set of rules are introduced, with the potential for gaps between first and last in Q1 to go from somewhere in the region of 1.5 seconds to three times that number.

A driver can only make up for so much of the deficit they may face. Verstappen proved in 2025 that, despite not having the car to win, he could still drag himself into contention.

It’s why IndyCar champion Alex Palou believes that Red Bull don’t design their cars exclusively to ‘suit’ the four-time champion. He just finds ways to win when he shouldn’t.

“Obviously, every driver is different, and a car that suits you might not suit me,” Palou told SoyMotor. “But I think what happens is that he’s able to get more out of any car.

“So he wins with cars that seem, well, he wins with cars that shouldn’t win, and the other driver is just doing what the car should be doing. But I don’t think the cars are suited to his style.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen has been giving ‘tips’ to George Russell’s main ‘enemy’ ahead of 2026

How Red Bull can earn from Max Verstappen’s 2025 efforts to be quicker in 2026

The days of intense politics and big development wars might just be back for 2026. Already, a lot of fuss has been made about potential engine tricks.

But the rate at which teams bring upgrades will be vital this year. Those who experiment more are likely to find speed.

Red Bull were one of the last teams to give up on their development in 2025, and know that they’re good at bringing meaningful changes to their cars.

That skillset is going to be handy for them, particularly if they start the campaign a bit slowly compared to how they’re used to.