Red Bull's 2026 Power unit issues a major concern for Max Verstappen

The 2026 F1 season will be completely different from the current regulations as the F1 plans to bring more electric power into F1 cars. The cars will have a balance of ICE and electric motors. Even the fuel will be a flex-fuel that helps their goal of becoming carbon neutral by the 2030 season. As per the regulations, each team will start from scratch and whoever comes with the best power unit and aerodynamics will become the new leader on the grid in 2026. As far as Red Bull is concerned, they will make their engines with the help of Ford.

A major concern for Red Bull and Verstappen

The American manufacturer will provide the resources and parts to the Milton Keynes-based team and the PUs will be manufactured in England. We still have 12 months to see the new engines and cars but even before that, there were rumours regarding the PUs made by Red Bull. According to them, the new Power units manufactured by Ford and Red Bull don't have enough power and reliability compared with the actual standards. Red Bull is one of the front-running teams alongside Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. 

Their rivals are already ahead in the 2026 race and Red Bull is finding it difficult to make a competitive engine for their four F1 cars. If the rumours are true, then Max Verstappen will be the most concerned man. The Dutchman is the face of the team and has been carrying them on his shoulders for the last seven seasons. 

He needs a machine capable of fighting and the rumours of Red Bull’s engine project are raising the alarm bell for him and his camp. If the PU falls short of pace and performance, the Dutchman has to make the difficult decision ahead of the 2026 season. Teams like Mercedes and Aston Martin are already in talks with the Red Bull driver and if they have a promising engine and contract, then Max could be attracted towards their side. There were speculations that Marcedes would be the strongest in the 2026 season. 

The German manufacturer is already miles ahead in their F1 2026 engine project and they could again start their dominance like 2014. So, there are all possibilities of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull and joining Mercedes. All Red Bull has is just 12 months and they should fine-tune their engine to keep Verstappen with them. 

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