A special first time
Among the many reasons for interest provided by the first GP of the 2026 Formula 1 season was certainly that of seeing how the Red Bull engines would perform. The Milton Keynes team in fact found itself for the first time in its history dealing with a completely autonomous ‘creation’. The final result was quite satisfying: of course, the retirement of Isack Hadjar, forced to park his car after just 12 laps with a blown power unit, was not a pretty sight, but all the other Red Bull-powered cars – Verstappen’s RB22 and the two VCARBs of Lindblad and Lawson – reached the finish line.
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“With such a radical change to the technical regulations, some retirements were inevitable and it’s a shame that one of these was Isack’s – commented Laurent Mekies after the race – specially after he had managed to secure third place on the grid. Looking on the bright side, the remaining three Red Bull Ford Powertrains-powered cars crossed the finish line, two of which were in the top-10″.
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Applause for Max
Engine aside, Mekies did not fail to celebrate yet another comeback completed by Max Verstappen in his career: “In case anyone needed reminding of what an exceptional driver Max is, he delivered a fantastic performance moving from 20th on the grid to sixth at the finish line. This weekend we acquired a lot of data that we will put to use in a few days in China – concluded the French Red Bull manager – we will do so more than ever this season and this was certainly a development and learning race for us. We always know we can count on everyone in Milton Keynes to push to the maximum and take us to the next level“.
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