Marko positive on RB19 development: 'Everything is going well"

Max Verstappen was very positive about the RB19 after his first introduction. The 25-year-old Dutchman drove around 50 kilometres in Red Bull Racing's new car on Friday, with Sergio Perez accounting for the other 50 kilometres. Adviser Helmut Marko is also happy with where his team stands some one-and-a-half weeks ahead of winter testing.

On Friday 2 February, the RB19 was already presented to the outside world, at least the livery. We have yet to see the real car that Verstappen and Sergio Perez will race, and we will not see it until Thursday 23 February (the first test day in Bahrain).

In any case, Marko is happy with the progress that has been made. The 79-year-old Austrian states that Red Bull did not run into any crazy things last winter. " Everything is going well with the preparations, everything is on track," he explains to German F1-Insider. According to Marko, the car is now really finished on time, where Adrian Newey needed quite a few months last season to make the car even more than ten kilos lighter, for example.

Marko happy with Ford

At Red Bull, they are happy that negotiations with an engine partner for 2026 have now also been finalised. Ford will partner with Red Bull Powertrains to provide the powertrains over three years. The focus can now be fully on a good start to the season. "It's a good deal with Ford. I was in Detroit for it, the talks were good and harmonious from the start. We came to a conclusion quite quickly. For me, this has come full circle."

Why has come full circle? In late 2004, Red Bull took over the Jaguar Formula One team from Ford. It marked Red Bull's start in the top class of motorsport. At the time, negotiations took place in the UK and not the US. "Ford Europe's headquarters was there. It was the beginning of our success story. Therefore, you can really say: the circle is complete," Marko concludes.