Red Bull concluded its first Bahrain pre-season test with a generally positive report after three days on track. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar covered significant mileage to gather data and familiarize themselves with a completely redesigned RB26 and a new power unit, produced for the first time at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes facility with Ford’s support. Despite the hydraulic issues Hadjar experienced on the second day, the final day ran smoothly, with Max Verstappen posting the fifth fastest overall time. Following encouraging reliability in Barcelona, the Red Bull power unit continues to impress, with rivals acknowledging the team as one to beat. Both drivers expressed satisfaction with the progress made on track, while also recognizing that substantial work remains ahead.
Pierre Waché, Red Bull’s chief technical officer, echoed the positive sentiment from the Bahrain tests: “It has been a productive week. We spent an entire day with Max, with plenty of time to conduct tests while evaluating the car and the power unit’s direction. Unfortunately, on the second day, we experienced some hydraulic issues on the chassis that affected Isack’s morning session, but we were able to recover in the afternoon.” Regarding the third day specifically, Waché added, “This morning with Max we evaluated the setups and received some promising data, and the same was true with Isack this afternoon. Overall, the mileage accumulated this week was very positive.”
Verstappen: “New power unit shows good start, but we don’t know if it will be enough to win races”
On the final morning of testing in Bahrain, Max Verstappen completed over 130 laps and ended the session with the fifth fastest time, focusing on development rather than a full race simulation, unlike some other teams. “Looking at the test overall, the team completed a strong number of laps on the first day, so we are satisfied. We achieved many of the objectives we had for testing the new power unit and the car in general. Today was a continuation of that work, as well as exploring more aspects of the car; there are so many elements being tested that the car continues to evolve with each session.”
The RB26 power unit has impressed again with its reliability, following the promising performance in Barcelona. This new engine, initially developed internally at Milton Keynes, attracted attention from rivals in Spain and proved dependable across all three days in Bahrain. Reflecting on the third day, Verstappen commented, “In general, everything is still so new that we’re learning a lot, but the car performed well. We also tested new tires, so we spent time evaluating different sets and understanding where we need to improve and where we can perform better. Regarding the power unit, based on the laps we completed, the start has been good. This is exactly what we wanted, and it wasn’t guaranteed. Whether it will be enough to win races, we don’t know. We will focus on ourselves and aim to do our best, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. With the car, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. Our sessions also gave us ideas for the afternoon with Isack and for next week, where we will continue to test new things and different setups.”
Pierre Waché also expressed confidence in the three days of testing: “We need to ensure the car continues to develop, particularly in terms of balance, and we know there’s significant potential for improvement. Our drivers are highly motivated and have provided extensive feedback on how to enhance the car and refine our development direction. In general, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has done an extraordinary job as a start-up; in three and a half years, we’ve built a power unit and put it on track, which is fantastic. The next step is to see where we stand relative to others and improve further. Some teams were clearly very fast today, and it seems we are behind, so there is still a lot to do. Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari are all at the front.”
Looking ahead to the final Bahrain test next week, Pierre Waché added, “It’s a steep learning curve, with many unknowns and a lot of work to do. We’ve identified our strengths and weaknesses and are focused solely on improving the car. Next week we’ll assess what changes can be made to enhance the car and address any issues identified this week.”
Hadjar: “Satisfied with power unit reliability”
In the afternoon, Verstappen handed the car over to 21-year-old Isack Hadjar, who completed 87 laps and posted the sixth fastest time of the day. After missing part of the second day due to a hydraulic issue on the RB26, Hadjar reflected positively on the first three days at Sakhir: “The first week in Bahrain went well. Of course, I had to wait a bit before getting back in the car after Barcelona, but once I did, we were able to test properly and understand what we need ahead of next week and Melbourne. There are many factors to consider, but so far we’re keeping to our program. Actual performance and race pace are always difficult to judge in pre-season, but we can be satisfied with the reliability we’ve seen from the power unit this week. There are still areas to work on, like balance and tire management, but that’s completely normal at this time of year. We’re working together as a team to reach where we want to be in Australia. I’ve known the people here for a while now, but it’s fantastic to work with them again in an environment like this.”
The debut of the Red Bull-Ford engine represents one of the most successful technical transitions in the team’s history, proving that Milton Keynes can indeed build a competitive power unit from scratch. While Verstappen and Waché are playing a careful game of expectations—pointing toward Ferrari and Mercedes as the current pace-setters—the bulletproof reliability of the RB22 suggests that Red Bull has a solid platform to develop. If they can close the performance gap identified by Waché during the final week of testing, the 2026 season could start with the reigning champions right where they left off.
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