Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
On the eve of the 2026 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has issued a verdict on where Red Bull stand as Mercedes look to be ‘just ahead’ of Ferrari in the pecking order.
Much has been said about the new F1 regulations in the lead-up to the first round of the season in Melbourne, with Max Verstappen arguably being its most vocal critic.
The Dutchman isn’t one to mince his words, and his attack on the new ruleset during pre-season testing in Bahrain ended up landing him in hot water with F1 bosses.
However, he wasn’t done there, with Verstappen’s latest gripe on the new ruleset being how complicated they are for the average F1 fan.
He isn’t alone in his assessment, and is instead joined by the majority of F1 drivers in having an issue with the new regulations.
There are unlikely to be any major amendments to the rulebook now that we’re on the eve of the new season, and so the Red Bull star will need to focus his mind on the task at hand if he wants any chance of securing a fifth world title.
That being said, Verstappen has offered his thoughts on where Red Bull currently rank against their F1 rivals ahead of the season-opener.
- READ MORE: Red Bull have prioritised ‘super aggressive’ performance over engine reliability for the 2026 season
Do you agree with our predictions for the 2026 F1 teammate battles?
Max Verstappen ranks Mercedes above Ferrari and Red Bull ‘somewhere in the middle’
During an interview with Swiss outlet Blick inside the Australian Grand Prix paddock, Verstappen was asked for his thoughts on the current pecking order of the F1 grid, namely the frontrunners.
Verstappen previously admitted that Red Bull have a lot of work to do in order for the Austrian constructor to catch up to their rivals, with the Dutchman picking out Mercedes as the benchmark at this moment in time.
He said, “Mercedes is currently just ahead of Ferrari. McLaren will certainly get a little more power from Mercedes here than it did in the Bahrain tests.”
It’s understood that McLaren will receive a ‘performance bump’ at the Australian Grand Prix compared to pre-season testing due to them not being given the latest engine spec in Bahrain.
In terms of where he will find himself fighting once the five lights drop in Melbourne on Sunday, Verstappen reportedly laughed as he replied, “Us? Somewhere in the middle.”
Even if Red Bull are where Verstappen predicts them to be, he is still expected to be a deciding factor in whether the Milton Keynes-based outfit can make a claim for either of the titles this season.
One F1 pundit, James Hinchcliffe, is under the impression that Verstappen will go on to win the title after seeing how promising the new Red Bull-Ford engine looked during testing.
What do you expect from Max Verstappen in the 2026 F1 season?
All eyes are on Isack Hadjar ahead of his Red Bull F1 debut
On the other side of the Red Bull garage, Isack Hadjar has had his head down as he navigates his first pre-season in F1 with the frontrunning outfit.
Many are interested to see if the Frenchman can break the second seat curse that has plagued Red Bull drivers in recent years, with Guenther Steiner optimistic about Hadjar’s chances of being the man to do so.
The youngster’s F1 career didn’t get off to the best start last year in Melbourne, after he crashed out of the race on the formation lap, before the race had even got underway.
From what he’s seen of him already, Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies thinks Hadjar is doing ‘everything right’ ahead of the season-opener, so it should be a fascinating watch to see how he matches up against Verstappen.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
