Verstappen and Red Bull can justifiably be proud after a remarkable testing week in Bahrain

A year ago, there was little confidence in the Red Bull Ford combination. Building an entirely new engine from the ground up and being competitive with it is a huge challenge. Even team bosses Christian Horner and Laurent Mekies each said it would be a miracle if Red Bull could be competitive straight away.

The man behind Red Bull Powertrains was Christian Horner. The Brit was never a fan of being dependent on others, and when Honda pulled the plug on the engine project, Horner went straight to Dietrich Mateschitz. A dedicated engine division had to be established.

It turned out to be one of the last projects Mateschitz would green-light before his passing. Horner set up the team. He brought in people from Honda, Mercedes, and many other manufacturers to form a brand-new team. A new factory was built in Milton Keynes and all focus shifted to 2026.

This season shows how difficult such a project is. Honda is giving it a go, but is struggling to get enough laps on the board with Aston Martin. Audi is doing considerably better, but the manufacturer that was so successful in numerous other categories is still facing plenty of teething problems. And then there’s Red Bull.

In Barcelona, Red Bull had already caused plenty of baffled faces in the paddock. How was it that this brand-new engine could do laps so effortlessly? On top of that, the RB22 was fast as well.

In Bahrain, Red Bull continued that trend. No, the expectation is not that Red Bull is the benchmark or a second ahead of the competition. That really seemed like a smokescreen from Toto Wolff, who walked back his comments during the second week in Bahrain.

But there is one consensus in the paddock: the top four of 2025 will also be the top four in 2026. The four top teams are all pointing to one another as the strongest, but no one really knows who stands out.

Whether Red Bull turns out to be the best or the worst in Australia, it hardly matters. Simply being in that group with a brand-new engine is the miracle that was being joked about last year. The team appears to have a competitive package, and with Max Verstappen in the car, you always have a shot at wins and maybe even a championship.

We will only truly know where things stand in Australia, but it’s fair to say Red Bull is in a good place.

And with that in mind, perhaps Red Bull and Verstappen should indeed send Christian Horner a bouquet. Because yes, Horner made the wrong choices in recent years and was rightly dismissed, but by pushing through with Red Bull Powertrains and assembling that team, Horner left behind quite a legacy that can now be capitalized on.