Red Bull is having a nightmare in 2025, as the team stands fourth in the Constructors’ Championship 2025, trailing behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. A season so bad that if they didn’t have Max Verstappen driving for them in a tractor of a car they have, they would have been at the bottom of the Championship contention.
Red Bull has been enduring the worst run in history with their second driver, Yuki Tsunoda, who hasn’t stood on a podium or even finished in the top 10 in most of the races. The team is clearly out of contention in both Constructors and Drivers’ Standings this year, so it’s better to have a look at the future now. So, the big question is, with the changing regulations in 2026, will Red Bull bounce back to the days of glory? Or will it remain behind other teams next year as well?
Johnny Herbert On Red Bull’s Comeback in 2026
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert recently talked about the potential situation of the team in 2026, especially given the fact that they will be designing their own engine for the first time in history. There is a lot that could go wrong. So what does Johnny Herbert think? Let’s see.
Herbert pointed out that the most important people in the team have already left the position, so the new team will have much less time to prove itself, and they’ve got big shoes to fill.
He told Thunderpick, “The people that are now there, on the ground, the designers and aerodynamicists and the chassis guys and even with the power unit as well, they’ve got to prove themselves now. A lot of other people that have proven that they were a very important part of Red Bull have gone.”
“And now they’ve declined in a very short space of time, and it’s how they rediscover the right mindset to be able to change their mentality to move it in a direction that is going to be more beneficial for 2026. That is a huge undertaking to be able to, one produce a F1 engine with all the technology that’s involved, and two, to make it as good or better than the very experienced Mercedes-Benz, for example.
The new power unit will he the biggest change next year, and Johnny Herbert seems unconvincing the team will be able to nail that. He said, “That goes down to the aerodynamics and the chassis, but it also goes down to the power unit as well, which is going to be a massively big test because it’s something they’ve taken on board themselves.”
“But of course, Red Bull are not going to be having any of that. They’re just going to be this badged Ford engine, but done in-house. And it’s going to be interesting to see if they can do that. Can I see a bounce back next year? No.” he added
So, whether or not Red Bull makes a comeback in 2026, one thing is for sure: these new regulations will shake up the grid like no other.
Also read: Everything New At F1 2026: All The Rules Explained
