Max Verstappen

F1 superstar Max Verstappen is hiding a big secret about the new Red Bull car

Sheona Mountford Tuesday 3 February 2026 20:26

Max Verstappen is hiding a secret about the Red Bull 2026 car according to an F1 pundit.

Red Bull and Ford debuted their 2026 challenger on track at the Barcelona shakedown, where the team accumulated a total of 303 laps across the week.

There were original concerns over reliability, given the DM01 is Red Bull's first power unit project, but so far so good, and Verstappen's interviews after the test reflected confidence in his team.

“Still work in progress, but I think we've hit the ground running quite well with those things,” he told F1.

“It's still a very complicated formula for everyone, there's still quite a bit of work to do, but that's normal.”

Could Red Bull be competitive?

Following the Barcelona shakedown, Sky Sports pundit Bernie Collins discussed Verstappen's body language and interview on their final testing show, and claimed he's holding a secret back about the RB22.

“Max is sounding very relaxed, I think you can tell a lot sometimes by their posture, he’s not just saying the words," Collins said.

"Even though he is ill, he is looking very relaxed. He does admit that the car has room for improvement, that’s what happens at the first test of any season.

“He does look quietly confident, he’s got that little smile that he sometimes carries when he’s in these interviews and he knows much more than we do.”

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

The 2026 F1 season gets underway on Friday, March 6 at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, with the first practice session starting at 12:30pm local time (AEDT).

F1's first qualifying session of the year will take place on Saturday, 7 March at 4pm local time, and the first race of the season is on Sunday, 8 March with lights out at 3pm local time.

Prior to the Australian Grand Prix, two three-days tests will occur in Bahrain. The first will take place from Wednesday, February 11 until Friday, February 13.

The second set of Bahrain tests will take place on Wednesday, February 18 until Friday, February 20.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Sky Sports pre-season testing Barcelona