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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen will soon learn what chance he has of winning a fifth world championship during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
After narrowly missing out on the championship to Lando Norris last year, Max Verstappen and Red Bull will hope that the upcoming regulation changes give them a clear advantage over the rest of the competition.
The 2026 F1 rule changes are introducing brand new power units and adjustable front and rear wings, as well as narrower cars and different fuel solutions.
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Pre-season testing will give fans the first indication of which team has nailed the new regulations, although Verstappen has suggested Red Bull won’t do much running in Barcelona as they test the reliability of the RB22.
All 22 drivers will be doing as much preparation as possible ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, but the 28-year-old Dutchman has now made a surprising revelation.
Despite being notorious for his love of racing outside of F1, Verstappen has admitted he’s barely driven the 2026 Red Bull on the simulator in the lead-up to the start of the campaign.
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Max Verstappen hasn’t ‘done that many laps’ on Red Bull’s 2026 Formula 1 simulator
Verstappen was asked about the upcoming rule changes on the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit Podcast and said: “Yeah, but I mean, you know that even heading into that [2025] season, right, so it’s not like it comes as a shock.
“The team is prepared for that, and it’s also a bit of a new challenge. I mean, I enjoyed the cars the last three years, but at the same time, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of a change.
“Yeah, it can also really upset, of course, the grid, you don’t know. So yeah, we’ll see how that goes.”
Verstappen was then asked how the rule changes are going to benefit him over the rest of the grid, and he continued: “Honestly, I have no idea.
“I haven’t even done that many laps in the simulator, so for me, I will just see what happens when I sit in the car.
What do you make of Max Verstappen’s preparations for the 2026 Formula 1 season?
“I think what is always very important as a driver is that you can adapt quickly to the situation that you’re in.
“If that is on a current car that you’ve known for a long time or a completely new car, you just need to be able to adapt quickly, learn quickly as well, because the cars will evolve, I think, also very quickly.
“But yeah, I’m not too stressed about that to be honest.”
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Max Verstappen provides cryptic clue on his Formula 1 future
Unlike Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who continue to race in F1 into their 40s, Verstappen doesn’t have the same ambitions.
It helps that the 28-year-old has already won four championships, and Verstappen has echoed Michael Schumacher, who previously admitted never aiming to break Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of winning five titles.
Schumacher did go on to win seven championships, only matched by Hamilton, and so Verstappen could be hiding his true ambitions.
However, Verstappen has commented on his plans and could even see himself becoming a future team principal in another series by the time he’s Hamilton’s age.
If the driving style required to drive the new cars to their maximum potential doesn’t suit Verstappen, or more likely, he doesn’t enjoy it, then it’s hard to see him hanging around until the next rule change in a few years.
He could take a sabbatical like Alonso did to pursue his interests elsewhere, but Red Bull will be hoping that doesn’t happen as they look to add to their six constructors’ championships.
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