Verstappen: “In the Barcelona tests we will spend more time in the pits than on the track”

Where will Red Bull be? In 2026, Red Bull will complete its most ambitious project since its entry into Formula 1, namely to produce everything in-house, from the chassis to the power unit. Team principal Laurent Mekies underlined several times at the end of last season that he did not expect to excel immediately, aware that the team’s new engine department will have to pay for a certain inexperience when compared to manufacturers who have been producing engines for a lifetime. Max’s opinion From 26 to 30 January the 2026 Formula 1 single-seaters will run – behind closed doors – in Barcelona, ​​for the very first tests of the new regulatory cycle.
In a long interview given to the Swiss at Blick, the four-time world champion Max Verstappen obviously did not want to launch into predictions: “Make predictions for 2026? None of us have any idea about the new cars and the engine. I think we will spend more time in the pits than on the track during the first tests in Barcelona. We hope to have some more ideas after the two February tests in Bahrain”. Even on the development of the engine, produced in collaboration with Ford, Verstappen remained tight-lipped: “I have visited the factory a couple of times, but everyone is in the dark.” A question to Max also about Audi: “Being a new team, it will take some time. But who knows, maybe it will manage to surprise everyone.”