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The intensity of last year’s championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris may have a lingering impact on Red Bull Racing’s performance in the 2026 season. While Verstappen fought until the final moments to secure the title, former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes the team’s decision to extend the development of the 2025 car could leave them vulnerable. As rivals shifted their focus to the radical 2026 regulations months earlier, Red Bull may now find themselves starting on the back foot.
The Risk of Extended Development
Montoya suggests that the situation at Red Bull is "complicated" compared to the clear trajectories of Mercedes and Ferrari. According to the Colombian veteran, Red Bull did an excellent job finishing the previous season strongly, but he questions whether that late-season speed came at the expense of their 2026 project. Montoya argues that in a year featuring a total technical reset, the teams that stopped developing their previous cars early typically have a significant advantage when the new era begins.
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The 2026 regulations introduce completely new power units and active aerodynamics, making every week of research and development vital. If Red Bull spent their resources chasing the 2025 crown while McLaren and Mercedes were already deep into the 2026 wind tunnel testing, the championship leaders could pay a "high price" in terms of early-season competitiveness. Montoya expects Ferrari and Mercedes to be immediately fast, leaving Red Bull with a potential gap to close.
A Mentality of Never Giving Up
Despite the concerns, Red Bull’s new team principal Laurent Mekies stands by the team's decision to fight until the end. Mekies explained that the core mentality of the staff in Milton Keynes made it impossible to simply "turn the page" and abandon the 2025 title hunt. He noted that the passion of the engineers and mechanics meant that no one was willing to give up, even when it became clear that focusing on 2026 would be the safer long-term bet.
Whether this gamble pays off will become clear during the upcoming tests in Barcelona and Bahrain. Red Bull is banking on their efficient design processes to overcome any lost time, but Montoya’s warning serves as a reminder of how quickly the hierarchy can change during a regulation reset. For Verstappen, the challenge will be to see if the team can maintain its winning momentum or if they have indeed sacrificed the start of a new era for the glory of the old one.
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