What Red Bull and Ferrari have been saying in private about F1 in 2026 has 'spooked' Max Verstappen

Red Bull and Ferrari have been saying some very interesting things in private about F1 in 2026.

Both Ferrari and Red Bull have privately expressed concerns about their power unit development.

The two teams’ concerns have come ahead of the major regulations changes being implemented in F1 in 2026.

And those power unit concerns have reportedly ‘spooked’ Red Bull’s star driver Max Verstappen.

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Could Red Bull be in serious trouble ahead of 2026?

Red Bull and Ferrari both reportedly have big concerns ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations being implemented.

For Red Bull in particular, there is reportedly deep concern.

The Milton Keynes-based team will be building its own engine for the first time ahead of the 2026 season.

And the new technical director, Pierre Wache, has not done a good job of reassuring Max Verstappen and his camp.

When Adrian Newey shockingly left Red Bull for Aston Martin, Wache was drafted in as his replacement.

The Frenchman has, however, overseen a massive regression in the fortunes of Red Bull.

What is even more concerning for Red Bull and Ferrari is the progress that rivals Mercedes have made.

Rumours in the F1 paddock suggest that Mercedes has developed the best power unit for 2026.

And it is this reported step forward that has fuelled rumors of Max Verstappen making a move to Mercedes.

Such a move would easily be one of the most shocking transfers in F1 history.

However, Verstappen is a distant third behind McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

And the Dutchman is reportedly far from happy at Red Bull going backwards in development.

According to the Nailing The Apex podcast, an interesting idea has been floated.

An idea of development ‘tokens’ to allow teams to undergo extra work to catch up on the strongest power unit has been floated.

Speaking on the podcast, Nelson Valkenburg and Tim Hauraney make an interesting observation.

This suggestion could not have come from Toto Wolff or Mercedes, because that team reportedly has the best power unit for next year.

“We believe that Ferrari and Red Bull were the ones really pushing that on,” Valkenburg elaborated.

“I think it also kind of spooked Verstappen a little bit, because in my conversations behind the scenes, you hear, it’s not only pure power, but how will the driveability be.”

Ferrari could also be under serious pressure

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko apparently holds deep concerns about the team’s 2026 power unit.

The Austrian reportedly believes the team’s power unit to be ’10 horsepower’ down on its rivals.

But Red Bull executives are not the only ones sweating ahead of their 2026 fortunes.

The news gets even worse if you happen to be a fan of Scuderia Ferrari.

Reports in the F1 paddock suggest that Ferrari’s 2026 power unit might be the worst of them all.

In fact, it could be so bad that it might even be worse than newcomer Audi’s efforts.

If even remotely true, that puts a massive bullseye on team principal Fred Vasseur’s back.

The Frenchman, currently team principal at Ferrari, is already under pressure following failure to deliver a winning car.

Unlike rivals (especially McLaren), Ferrari has not delivered a winning car to Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc.

Could a failure to deliver a competitive power unit spell the end for Fred Vasseur at Ferrari?

More importantly, could a non-competitive power unit finally spell the end for Max Verstappen at Red Bull?

F1 could be about to get a lot more interesting in 2026, that is for sure.