Max Verstappen’s F1 record-breaking car inspires rivals in 2026

Max Verstappen in his RB19 doing some donuts in Abu Dhabi — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Max Verstappen’s record-breaking F1 car inspires rivals in 2026

Max Verstappen won 19 of 22 races in 2023

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 7 February 2026 09:56 Updated: 14:24

Williams' 2026 F1 car appears to have taken some inspiration from a previous Red Bull design, which helped Max Verstappen to break a plethora of records.

The Grove-based outfit unveiled their FW48 earlier this week, before it then also took to the track for the first time in Silverstone, completing laps in a shakedown.

It will have been a relief for Williams to get their car out there, after delays with their new machinery which meant that they missed the private shakedown in Barcelona, which all other 10 teams went along to.

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It means that Williams have missed out on three allocated testing days ahead of the new season, but they do still have six remaining with the two test events in Bahrain later this month.

And now, their new car reveal has hinted at a nod towards Red Bull's 2023 RB19 car, the single most successful car in F1 history.

Red Bull won 21 of 22 grands prix in 2023, storming to both world championships. Verstappen himself claimed 19 of those grand prix victories, a record for a single season, while he also broke the record for the amount of consecutive wins (10).

Williams' new 2026 car comes away from the rest of its 2026 rivals when it comes to suspension setup.

The upper triangle of the FW48's front suspension is aggressively inclined, which is done so to try and encourage greater stability under braking, stopping the front end from diving down heading into corners.

This is a design technique which the legendary Adrian Newey introduced on Red Bull's RB19, with great effect as the car went on to break a plethora of records and win both world championships.

Williams might not be striving for that level of success, but it appears that they have taken inspiration from it, in contrast to their rivals in 2026.

What are Williams' goals in 2026?

The delays to the FW48's debut may have dampened a team that were in great spirits off the back of the 2025 season.

Last year, Williams finished fifth in the constructors' championship, and claimed more than one grand prix podium in a season for the first time since 2017, with Carlos Sainz grabbing two grand prix podiums and a sprint race podium.

Sainz and Alex Albon make up one of the most talented driver lineups on the entire grid, and the 2026 regulation changes may just allow them to challenge higher up the grid more regularly.

However, team principal James Vowles has already stated that if they could have a repeat of the fifth-place constructors' championship finish from 2025 then that would be a good achievement for the Grove-based team in 2026.

Williams could also be helped by the fact that they've got a Mercedes power unit in the back of their cars, with Mercedes understood to be the team best placed to master the new power unit regulations.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Williams