Currently, Red Bull Racing is the dominant team in Formula 1, but that may change in two years' time. This is because from 2026 the new engine regulations will take effect. For now, it is speculation as to who is freshest with the new engine, but it could be an opportunity for the other teams to get closer. Max Verstappen talks in Australia about how confident he is about the powertrain project.

Currently, the Dutchman has a contract until 2028 at Red Bull. However, in recent weeks there have been rumours that the three-time world champion would like to put the chaos at the team behind him and could leave for Mercedes. There is a lot of talk at the moment about Christian Horner' s possible cross-border behaviour and the power struggle between camp Horner and the camp of top advisor Helmut Marko. When rumours emerged that Marko might be suspended from the team, Verstappen immediately stood up for him, saying he would not continue without the Austrian.

The 2026 engine regulations could also play a role in Verstappen's final decision. Red Bull is working on its own engine, where they have partnered with Ford. However, it is not yet clear whether they are in good shape and whether the other teams are better off. Should Verstappen feel Mercedes are in a better position, for example, that could be a reason for a switch.

Verstappen is not worried about Red Bull Powertrains

For now, Verstappen is not worried about the project surrounding Red Bull Powertrains: "If I have to speculate about everything... I could also worry about whether I'm still alive tomorrow, right? So I'm not too worried about that."

He continued: "Of course I am also in close contact with Christian [Horner] and the people working there about that. Everyone is working very hard, so there is no need to panic about that. It's still not 2026. We know it's a big task, we don't take that lightly. With so many established engine manufacturers, we also don't think it will be easy to beat them. But there are a lot of good people working on the project and we are very excited about it. So time will tell where we will be."