Red Bull came into 2024 on the back of the most dominant season in Formula 1 history. Only Carlos Sainz’s victory in Singapore denied them an unprecedented clean sweep of wins.
They started this year in similarly ominous fashion, with world champion Max Verstappen winning four of the first five Grands Prix at a canter. But now rivals Ferrari and McLaren have closed up.
Charles Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend to follow up Sainz’s triumph in Australia. This time, though, they beat Verstappen and Red Bull fair and square rather than relying on a retirement, with the Dutchman struggling in sixth.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris scored his first F1 victory in Miami, and came within 0.7 seconds of another at Imola the following weekend. The good news for Verstappen is that he’s already built up a healthy if not insurmountable 31-point lead in the standings.
And the likelihood is that he wins a healthy majority of the 16 races that remain in 2024. But if there isn’t to be a genuine title fight this year, then the stage is set for a possible three-way battle next season, the final year before the major 2026 regulation changes.
While the chassis specifications for F1’s new era have yet to be finalised, teams have already got to work on new-look engines. The MGU-H is no more as the sport moves towards sustainable fuels and a far greater reliance on electrical power.
Peter Windsor rubbishes rumours of 2026 Red Bull engine deficit
At the end of next year, Red Bull’s partnership with Honda will conclude. Their own powertrains division will take over, though the engines will run with Ford badges.
Earlier this month, Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft shared ‘rumours’ that the Bulls were lagging behind their competitors in the early simulations. Meanwhile, there’s talk that Mercedes have got out to an early lead.
The German manufacturer stole a march on their competitors at the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, winning eight straight titles. And it seems like the next rules reset may play to their strengths too.
However, speaking on the Cameron F1 YouTube channel, journalist Peter Windsor has warned against underestimating Red Bull. Martin Brundle was mightily impressed when he visited their facility, and Windsor also has confidence in their project.
Above all else, he feels it’s simply too soon to make any well-founded assessments. He’s accused those peddling the rumours of ‘playing with fire’.
“I know quite a lot of the people at Red Bull Powertrains,” he said. “I was impressed by the number of Ford people here this weekend at Monaco.
“I think, for anybody to get out there and say that the Red Bull Powertrains/Ford association is way behind Mercedes is just playing with fire. I think that’s a ludicrous thing to be saying at this stage.
“It may turn out to be correct. But I don’t think there’s any evidence at all to suggest that.”
The key clause Max Verstappen has in his Red Bull contract ahead of 2026
Verstappen will be keeping a close eye on Red Bull’s 2026 projections. He’ll expect to be a five-time world champion and will want to sustain his dominance into a new era.
Indeed, changes of this scale are typically disruptive for the team and driver at the top. Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull had won four straight titles before 2014, but the Milton Keynes outfit won’t prevail again until 2021.
Mercedes, meanwhile, have only won one race since the aerodynamic overhaul at the start of 2022. Verstappen may have been keenly aware of this when he negotiated an exit clause into his contract.
The 26-year-old has the option to leave at the end of next year if he doesn’t like where Red Bull are headed. With Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton locked into Ferrari, Mercedes stands out as the obvious destination if indeed the early hints of excitement are justified.
The post 'I know quite a lot of the people': Peter Windsor slams 'ludicrous' rumours about 2026 Red Bull engine appeared first on F1 Oversteer.