Red Bull legend highlights key factor which could decide Max Verstappen's future

Red Bull legend and former Formula 1 star David Coulthard has said the team risks losing Max Verstappen if they get a key part of the 2026 regulations wrong.

F1 is set to see a major overhaul heading into the 2026 season, with a new set of aerodynamic and engine regulations being introduced.

Nailing these changes is crucial for every single team on the grid, and we have seen in the past that if a team gets a regulation change just right, they can go on to have incredible success.

Red Bull themselves are an example of this from 2022 onwards, when the current ground-effect aero package was introduced, whilst Mercedes dominated the mid-to-late 2010s having produced a Turbo-Hybrid power unit that was a class above their rivals.

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Coulthard warns Red Bull must get engine regulations right

After much speculation, heading into another new era for F1, Max Verstappen will be a Red Bull driver, but how long that remains the case could depend on how much they nail the regulations, according to Coulthard.

In partnership with Ford, Red Bull will produce their own powertrains for the first time from next season onwards, and Coulthard believes that any issues with the power unit would concern the four-time world champion greatly and leave him seeking an exit.

Speaking to Autosport at an event in Zandvoort for his initiative, More Than Equal, ex-Red Bull driver David Coulthard said: “I suspect he'll [Verstappen] look at '26.

“If there's a major engine issue with the Red Bull power units, that would be concerning, I'm sure. If that doesn't look bad, if let's say the power unit's working, but they're still trying to figure out a new regulation in the car, that might give them more time.

"But if it's a struggle, of course he's going to go somewhere else. He's got the right to go somewhere else.

"And I don't think anyone in the team would be offended by that.”

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