Why Verstappen is Red Bull's main "advantage" in 2026 F1 rules shake-up
by Stuart Codling · AutosportNew chassis and power unit regulations will mean "a lot more for the driver to do" according to Red Bull Powertrains director Ben Hodgkinson – and few F1 drivers have as much mental bandwidth as Max Verstappen
Formula 1's shift to power units with an almost 50% split between electrical deployment and conventional internal combustion power has had far-reaching effects, not just in the engine bay but also throughout the chassis.
Another consequence is a huge increase in driver workload, both before and during races, because maximising the potential of the new power units will require an astute approach to mechanical set-up as well as changes in driving technique from lap to lap. This is one of the key reasons so many drivers have been critical of the new regulations after evaluating early simulator models which suggested the cars would run out of electrical deployment on even moderately long straights.
These fears have been mollified, but managing the hybrid system will still require adaptations. That's why Red Bull has been expressing so much confidence ahead of the change: because it knows Max Verstappen has the capacity to superintend energy management while wringing the car's neck to produce lap time.
"It's what I think is a big advantage for us," said Red Bull driver advisor Helmut Marko last season. "The driver has to be smart and clever how to use the power from the battery. And there is one driver who can drive fast and think. So that should be an advantage."
Red Bull Powertrains director Ben Hodgkinson expanded on this theme at the team's livery launch.
"The real value of Max in this regulation is really going to come in when he gets his hands on it on track," Hodgkinson told a group of select media including Autosport. "Obviously he's been on the simulator so he's given some input already. With these regulations the amount of power you've got from the ERS is such a large amount of the performance of the power unit, and it can be deployed in different strategic ways.
"I think there's actually going to be quite a bit more for the driver to do, there's going to be quite a lot of choices to make and strategy that they'll have to pull."
Under the previous regulations the ERS-H – which served the dual purpose of reclaiming energy from the turbocharger as heat while using some of that power to spin the turbo shaft to minimise lag – was a large net contributor to the car's ability to harvest power. Its removal from the 2026 formula has eliminated an element which was difficult and expensive to engineer, and was seen as a disincentive for new manufacturers to get involved.
But the deletion of the ERS-H means more power has to be harvested from the ERS-K, which recovers energy from the rear axle that would otherwise be dispersed as heat under braking. This will entail more lift-and-coast, and the likelihood that drivers will have to pull lower gears through corners, with knock-on effects on rear-end stability.
Another consequence of the change in power unit regulations has been the adoption of active aerodynamics to reduce drag on the straights. But ‘Straight Line Mode', as this is known, comes with second-order effects which the driver will have to manage – not just in terms of instability during the transition in and out of the mode, but also minutiae such as tyre temperatures.
How much aerodynamic load to remove when in Straight Line Mode is going to be one of the key set up choices drivers will now have to make, and it will be different for each track.
In common with all the great champions, Verstappen has remarkable mental bandwidth: driving the car at 100% is virtually an automatic process, freeing up capacity to read what's going on around him, even if he's managing a flight rear axle. Spotting in his rear-view mirror that Lando Norris had failed to slow sufficiently for a yellow flag in Qatar in 2024 was just one of many examples.
Verstappen also makes astute technical choices, one example being to push for a lower-drag set-up in Monza last year. Indeed, the Red Bull team pivoting under new boss Laurent Mekies to a more engineering-led approach, with more influence from Verstappen's inputs, was one of the catalysts for Verstappen's remarkable comeback late last season.
"Max will give us an advantage there because his ability to be able to process things whilst doing 200 miles an hour is just I think is absolutely world class," emphasised Hodgkinson. "I'm excited to see what he can do with that."
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
- The Autosport.com Team