Jacobs: Red Bull’s 2026 turnaround is more impressive than its 2025 revival

Red Bull’s 2026 recovery has carried it from fourth in the early competitive order to back-to-back race wins. RacingNews365’s Lieke Jacobs argues that the climb is more impressive than the team’s 2025 resurgence.

Red Bull began 2026 with a substantial gap to the field, especially Mercedes, and at times could not beat Alpine. The team also faced a sweeping rules reset with its first in-house power unit in the RB22.

Verstappen’s 2025 starting point was stronger: his car could fight at the front from the opening race, although Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were ahead of him in the early pecking order. A string of second-half victories left him just two points short of his fifth world title.

Red Bull introduced upgrades in Baku in 2026; Verstappen came close to victory in Azerbaijan before winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore consecutively. Jacobs says the team has since become a serious contender for podiums and wins.

Red Bull has nevertheless remained cautious about its remaining-race prospects, Jacobs notes. After Singapore, Verstappen was 119 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli; Jacobs considers a fifth 2026 title highly unlikely.