The 2026 Red Bull season is underway. While Red Bull flew to Detroit to unveil the 2026 RB22 livery and celebrate the historic commercial and technical partnership with Ford for the new power unit, discussions continue in Europe about what to expect in a Formula 1 World Championship that could shake up the hierarchies we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years. With Red Bull dominance, followed by McLaren, and only sporadic appearances from Ferrari and Mercedes, the upcoming season could be unpredictable. According to former English driver Johnny Herbert, it is far from certain that the superstar Max Verstappen will continue to dominate when the season kicks off in Melbourne on March 8.
Johnny Herbert puts pressure on Max Verstappen
“There is always the possibility that a new car,” explains the 61-year-old, interviewed by JeffBet, “won’t be perfectly suited to you. Max Verstappen is only human, and yes, even though he is currently the best on the starting grid, this doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the fastest on track. It depends on the car’s performance and whether it suits your driving style. Just like Lewis Hamilton last year, who wasn’t suited to the Ferrari and lost pace, there’s always the chance that new rules favor a certain type of driver. Lando Norris, for example, could benefit from the new car and grow even further as a driver, just like Max did after 2021.”
“There’s the possibility,” he adds, “that Verstappen could win his eighth title, breaking records, or even win more. But to do so, he will need the right car. The year 2026 might not be Max’s year, and another team could dominate, leaving Max stuck at four titles. A perfect example of someone who should have won more championships is Fernando Alonso, but he changed teams often and was never in the right place at the right time. He is one of the greatest drivers Formula 1 has ever seen, yet he has won only two championships. You need luck, or you need to create it yourself. Verstappen has decided not to go to Mercedes for 2026, and if George Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli were to win the World Championship, it would be very difficult for Toto Wolff to let them leave, even if Max were available. It will be interesting to see what happens looking ahead to 2027.”
The challenge with Isack Hadjar
For Herbert, who lost his FIA steward position due to comments considered inappropriate about Max Verstappen given his official role, the Dutch driver could face an F1 season where hybrid management will be even more crucial than before, as well as a challenge from his young teammate. “I can imagine that the new rules won’t favor a driver like Max, and eventually someone will emerge who can challenge him. And when there is someone challenging you within your own team, dynamics can change,” Herbert explained.
“If Hadjar manages to start very strongly and give Verstappen a real fight,” concludes Johnny Herbert, “then there will be a plot twist. Max will have to fight harder to maintain his advantage over his teammate, and we haven’t really seen him under such pressure since Daniel Ricciardo was his teammate. Hadjar has a tough opportunity ahead, which he is eager to seize, and he will have to give his best to beat his teammate. But this could be the first time in a long while that Max Verstappen is forced to battle within his own team as well.”
As the 2026 season approaches, the speculation surrounding the RB22 and its new driver pairing highlights the high stakes of Formula 1’s latest technical reset. Whether Max Verstappen continues his dominance or faces a career-defining challenge from the new regulations and Isack Hadjar remains the biggest question of the year.
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