Can Red Bull F1 claim championship success in 2026?

Max Verstappen, Laurent Mekies, generic, Red Bull, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Can Red Bull claim championship success in 2026?

2026 sees a plethora of changes sweeping into the sport

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Saturday 10 January 2026 21:01

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has spoken out about Red Bull and Max Verstappen's chances of bouncing back in 2026 and winning the championship.

2025 saw a thrilling three-way world championship battle between Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and eventual victor Lando Norris, but the uncertainty swirling around 2026 means that it's unclear how many of those three drivers will be in a title fight this year.

And that's because of major changes sweeping into F1, both in terms of power unit rules and car design regulations.

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Cars will be lighter, smaller and more nimble in 2026, while there will be a much greater emphasis on electrical energy when it comes to the power units.

And Schumacher has said that this could see a complete shake up of the competitive order, with the German not sure who will be challenging for the title.

When asked whether Red Bull and Verstappen can return to winning ways in 2026, Schumacher told Sky Germany: "They can certainly do it. However, it has to be said: everything will be turned upside down.

Ross Brawn took the Brawn GP team to extraordinary title success in 2009 when he took advantage of the regulation changes with a clever car design quirk.

Can Aston Martin challenge for the title?

Aston Martin will be looking for improved performance in 2026, after finishing down in seventh in the constructors' championship last year.

Design legend Newey has joined the team, and has had nine months to get his head around the new regulations, meaning that the 2026 car will be the first one that he has worked on for the team.

Throughout his career, Newey has won 25 championships with three different teams, and left Red Bull in 2024 in order to pursue a new project.

Fernando Alonso will be hoping that he can challenge for a third world title in 2026, but all the indications are that this coming season will be too soon for the team, and that we may have to wait until 2027 to see some real progress.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Aston Martin Adrian Newey Ralf Schumacher