Red Bull have already allayed one of Max Verstappen’s biggest ‘fears’ about the 2026 F1 season

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen is searching for his fifth drivers’ championship in 2026 after narrowly missing out against Lando Norris last season.

Max Verstappen’s remarkable comeback at the end of the 2025 campaign saw him come within two points of beating Norris after finishing on the podium at each of the last 10 races.

Red Bull made brilliant progress during the second half of the season, while many teams were shifting their focus towards this year and the brand new regulations.

There was even more pressure on Laurent Mekies’ team during the short winter break as Red Bull finalised their first-ever in-house power unit.

What do you make of Max Verstappen’s preparations for the 2026 Formula 1 season?

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Red Bull’s engine caught the attention of Zak Brown and many other figures in the paddock at the Barcelona shakedown, completing hundreds of laps in the back of the RB22 and VCARB 03.

Journalist and broadcaster Nelson Valkenburg has been speaking about how Verstappen is feeling going into 2026.

He believes that one of his biggest ‘fears’ has been allayed by Red Bull’s initial running at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of two three-day tests in Bahrain.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Max Verstappen feeling ‘open-minded’ about the 2026 Formula 1 season with Red Bull

Valkenburg was asked on the Nailing the Apex Podcast how Verstappen was feeling ahead of Bahrain pre-season testing and said: “I think open-minded mostly.

“I think Red Bull ran a super conservative aerodynamics package in Barcelona. So in terms of performance, there’s very little to comment on low temperatures etc.

“So I think some of the fears may have been allayed already, and now you go into Bahrain with more of an open mind and ready to see what is really there in this package.

“I think some questions had been answered for most of the teams, including for Red Bull, but a lot of question marks remain in terms of overall competitiveness, drivability, etc.

“So, it’s going to be super important to hit the ground running in Bahrain, but as far as we can tell from the outside, mostly, is that there is a general level of optimism within the Red Bull team.”

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

Red Bull looking to fine-tune power unit during Bahrain testing

One of the most important aspects of this set of regulations is the new hybrid power unit.

Red Bull have teamed up with Ford to develop the DM01 engine, and the early indications are very positive.

After the Barcelona shakedown, Red Bull still need to fine-tune their engine, but the initial results were far more positive than many outsiders expected.

Last season, each driver had four power units available to them, but that number has been reduced to three in 2026, making reliability even more important.

That will be one of the key aspects of the six days of running in Bahrain, although the power of the engines is also a hot topic right now.

Red Bull have reportedly joined forces with most of the grid to question a compression ratio trick that Mercedes have developed.

If the FIA declare the Mercedes power unit to be legal, then Verstappen’s task of becoming a five-time world champion will be increasingly difficult.