In 2026, Max Verstappen will not only be racing in a brand-new Red Bull vehicle on the circuit, but he will also be powered by an entirely new engine in the successor to the RB21. The Austrians are busy putting the finishing touches on the engine project for next year, but the world champion was already allowed to listen to the power source. ‘It sounds nice and sharp,’ Verstappen reveals.
Formula 1 is on the eve of significant changes to the regulations. For instance, the vehicles for the 2026 season will be smaller and lighter, and the DRS system will disappear. Meanwhile, the engines will consist of fifty percent electric power and fifty percent combustion power. Furthermore, the power sources will run entirely on sustainable fuel.
Red Bull faces an additional challenge: the racing team will be driving with its own power source on the circuit for the first time in 2026. This is being developed in collaboration with Ford, under the name Red Bull Powertrains. So far, Max Verstappen is pleased with this new project from his team. During the Talking Bull podcast, the Dutchman was asked if he had already heard the new engine.
‘It makes noise’
“It makes noise,” the world champion first jokes. He then continued in a more serious tone: “It sounded good. Of course, you hear it on the test bench, but it sounded nice and sharp. I don’t know if they specifically develop for sound, but it sounded good. It’s not a V10, but still.”
