Significant Switch
If there’s one Dutchman who knows how to race a car at an unhealthy pace around a circuit, it is, of course, Max Verstappen. In 2026, Verstappen will undoubtedly string apexes (apeci?) together as if there’s no tomorrow. He will do so in this new F1 car.
At AutoWeek.nl, we are well-versed in all markets, although motorsport barely or not at all falls within our area of focus. For the new car of Max Verstappen and his fresh teammate Isack Hadjar, we are happy to make an exception. This new Formula 1 car is called the RB22 and differs considerably from the performance-wise rather controversial RB21 it replaces.
First of all, Max’s new car does not have a Honda powertrain, but a Ford one. Indeed: the manufacturer you now primarily know in the Netherlands for small Ecoboost engines is responsible for the RB22’s power unit. That power unit, just like last year, is a tiny V6: a 1.6 with a turbo. The powertrain has been stripped of the MGU-H. What that is: a system that converts the heat from exhaust gases into electrical energy to spool up the turbo faster, but which can also store that released energy. The system that recovers energy during braking, the MGU-K, remains and will play a much larger role from this year on. This MGU-K thus functions as a generator during braking, but as an electric motor during acceleration. The power of that electric motor has been increased for 2026 from 163 hp to 476 hp.
However, we are not here for the in-depth technical analysis of Red Bull’s Formula 1 car, or for an extensive story about the new regulations, the arrival of active aerodynamics, or the disappearance of DRS. What we do see today is how all of that is packaged. The livery of the RB22 appears almost identical from a distance to that of Red Bull’s previous F1 car. However, the blue in the blue-and-black color scheme is a significantly lighter shade and has a different pattern. The choice has therefore been made for glossy instead of matte.
On January 26, the first tests will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in – you guessed it – near Barcelona.