Verstappen explains why Red Bull’s 2026 revival differs from 2025

Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s 2026 recovery took a different route from its 2025 turnaround: the earlier revival was more about unlocking the RB21’s potential, while the latest one has followed upgrades to the RB22.

Verstappen agreed that the 2025 effort was more about set-up and extracting the potential already in the car, whereas the 2026 resurgence followed upgrades. He said the cars and the problems Red Bull needed to solve to find lap time were completely different. He also said it had sometimes been difficult for everyone to get the most from the engine in 2026.

In 2025, the RB21 had enough pace to win two of the first seven rounds, but it had also proved troublesome. Verstappen was 104 points behind then-leader Oscar Piastri heading into the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where a floor upgrade helped Red Bull unlock the car’s potential.

Early in 2026, the RB22 was more than a second off Mercedes, and Red Bull faced the prospect of its first winless campaign since 2015. An upgrade in Baku put the team into contention for victories on merit. The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore showed that pace across different circuit profiles; Verstappen won the last two rounds. Red Bull’s progress has also included gains in the chassis, aerodynamics and its fledgling power unit, built in collaboration with Ford.

Verstappen said Red Bull had learned a great deal and fixed many weaknesses, but was still not where it wanted to be. He wants the team to keep learning through 2026 and apply those lessons in 2027.