Little faith in RBPT power unit, but confidence in Mercedes
Only Verstappen keeps faith in Red Bull: But for how long?
If the decision were up to the ones Max Verstappen, it would be simple: the Dutchman should leave Red Bull Racing after this season. They consider the situation of the Austrian squad to be hopeless for this and the next season, as GPblog has learned.
There’s no doubt about Red Bull’s good intentions to make the RB21 a serious contender against the Mclarens, but there simply isn’t any belief in their success. And will a team, that continues to miss the mark, be capable of building the best car with the new technical regulations coming in 2026?
There’s scarcely any confidence in the power unit by Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) that will be in the back of the cars next season. After all, Red Bull lacks the experience and quite possibly the knowledge to build a competitive engine. Recall that Ferrari, Honda, and Audi have all encountered constraints in building the ‘26 engine, and those are actual automakers for whom this is core business – unlike Red Bull.
There is, however, confidence in the power unit currently being developed by Mercedes. Interestingly, at that team, there are currently two seats open for 2026. Team principal Toto Wolff has indicated he sees no reason not to extend the contracts of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. But the ink is not yet on the paper. Why not? It certainly plays into the fact that Max Verstappen might become available on the driver market.
