The narrative leading up to the 2026 Formula 1 season was dominated by skepticism, fear, and one very loud ultimatum from the sport’s reigning king. Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, had made his position crystal clear: if the radical new 2026 regulations produced cars that weren’t “fun” to drive, he was out. He famously described early simulations of the new generation of machinery as “pretty terrible,” citing awkward energy management and a driving style that felt alien to the spirit of racing.
Critics whispered that Red Bull Racing, facing its first year without the genius of Adrian Newey and powered by an engine built entirely in-house, was walking into a catastrophe. The paddock buzz was that the “DM01” power unit—a project started from scratch just four years ago—could not possibly match the durability of Mercedes or Ferrari, manufacturers with nearly a century of combustion heritage.
Then, the RB22 hit the track in Barcelona, and the silence from the critics became deafening.
The Miracle of Milton Keynes
As the dust settles on the Barcelona shakedown, the headline isn’t about lap times or top speeds—it’s about survival, vindication, and a gamble that appears to have paid off spectacularly. On the final day of testing, the Red Bull RB22, powered by the untested Red Bull-Ford powertrain, completed a staggering 118 laps.
To the casual observer, 118 laps might seem like just a number. In the context of the most aggressive technical reset in the sport’s modern history, it is an earthquake. This was a “shakedown” for a manufacturer that didn’t exist five years ago.
“Developing a power unit in-house with Ford’s help may seem almost crazy,” admitted Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s Team Principal, echoing the fears that had permeated Milton Keynes. Yet, instead of the expected plumes of smoke and hydraulic leaks, the garage witnessed something else entirely.
“Emotional faces filled the garage,” Verstappen revealed after the test, his tone shifting from the cynical critic of 2023 to a driver genuinely moved by the engineering feat beneath him. “The moment felt special in a way that mattered.”
The Engine That Honors a Legend
The heart of this success is the DM01, an engine unit named in honor of Dietrich Mateschitz, the Red Bull founder who passed away in October 2022. Mateschitz had witnessed the very first fire-up of the prototype engine just months before his death. For the 2,000 engineers at Red Bull Powertrains, this wasn’t just about horsepower; it was about honoring a legacy.
The stakes were astronomical. Unlike Mercedes, which logged a comfortable 499 laps during the same period thanks to refining systems they’ve dominated since 2014, Red Bull was flying blind. The 2026 regulations demand a 50/50 split between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric power. The electric motor alone now produces 350 kW—nearly triple the previous output—fundamentally changing how a car accelerates.
More critically, the removal of the MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit – Heat) meant that managing turbocharger heat became a nightmare for engineers. Without the MGU-H to recover energy from exhaust gases, the cooling challenges are immense. Short runs hide these flaws; only long, sustained stints reveal if a car will melt itself from the inside out.
That is why the 118-lap final day is so significant. The DM01 didn’t just run; it survived the kind of thermal torture that exposes fundamental design flaws. It proved that Red Bull’s packaging works.
Contrasting Fortunes: The “Newey” Narrative
The Barcelona test also served as a brutal reality check for the “Cult of Newey.” For nearly two decades, the prevailing wisdom in F1 was simple: if you have Adrian Newey, you win. His departure to Aston Martin was viewed as the final nail in Red Bull’s coffin.
However, the timeline tells a different story. The RB22 is the first car in 20 years designed without Newey’s direct oversight. It is the brainchild of Technical Director Pierre Waché and his team, who prioritized aerodynamic efficiency over raw power to hedge against potential engine struggles.
While Waché’s “Post-Newey” Red Bull logged over 350 laps across the test, Aston Martin—now Newey’s home—was visibly struggling. The AMR26 arrived late, missing the first three days entirely, and managed a paltry 65 laps. Martin Brundle reported that Newey himself acknowledged Honda (Aston’s engine partner) is “playing catch-up.”
The irony is palpable. The team Newey left is thriving with a rookie engine, while the team he joined is floundering with a veteran manufacturer. It’s a stark reminder that in Formula 1, organizational stability often trumps individual genius.
The Ford Factor
Dismissed by many as a “badge exercise” or a marketing stunt, the partnership with Ford has proven to be the secret weapon in Red Bull’s arsenal. This wasn’t just about slapping a blue oval on the engine cover. Ford brought deep expertise in battery cell technology and electric motor control—areas where Red Bull had zero experience.
Ford’s manufacturing tech, specifically 3D printing for turbo components, allowed Red Bull to collapse prototype lead times from 16 days to just five. This speed allowed them to iterate, fail, and fix designs faster than competitors stuck with traditional casting methods. The result is a power unit that, while perhaps not yet the most powerful on the grid, is reliable enough to allow Verstappen to push.
A New Beast: The 2026 Driving Experience
Verstappen’s optimism is particularly shocking given the complexity of the new cars. These machines are beasts. They are smaller and lighter than their 2025 counterparts, but the active aerodynamics introduce a chaotic workload for drivers.
Gone is the DRS (Drag Reduction System). In its place are “X-mode” for low drag on straights and “Z-mode” for high downforce in corners. The wings move physically during the lap. Add to that the “Overtake Mode,” which gives a burst of extra energy when following another car, and the cockpit becomes a frantic environment of button presses and mode switches.
Verstappen had previously warned that the energy management would require “weird” driving styles, like downshifting on straights to recharge the battery. While he noted that the formula “remains complicated,” the fact that he is no longer threatening to walk away suggests that Red Bull has found a way to make the car drivable, intuitive, and perhaps even “fun.”
The Looming War
Of course, it wouldn’t be Formula 1 without controversy. A dispute over compression ratio interpretations involving Mercedes and Red Bull is already brewing, with Ferrari, Honda, and Audi lodging formal complaints to the FIA. There is a very real possibility that protests could be filed after the Australian Grand Prix, potentially overturning results in the courtroom.
But for now, the mood in Milton Keynes is one of euphoric relief. They have climbed the mountain. They built an engine from nothing. They survived the departure of their design guru. And they have a car that runs like clockwork.
George Russell, driving for rivals Mercedes, perhaps summed it up best with a hint of begrudging respect: “Given that they built their first engine ever, that result clearly indicates they’ve done a good job.”
Max Verstappen isn’t going anywhere. And if the RB22 is as good as the smiles in the garage suggest, the rest of the grid shouldn’t be hoping for his retirement—they should be fearing his dominance. The gamble didn’t just work; it might have just secured the next dynasty.