Red Bull Racing (full name: Oracle Red Bull Racing) is an Austrian Formula 1 team based in Milton Keynes. The team won the constructors’ championship for a second consecutive time in 2023, but failed to do so in 2024 and 2025. Max Verstappen, who won four consecutive world titles with the team, saw Lando Norris take the championship in 2025. In 2026, Verstappen and Isack Hadjar aim to return to winning ways.

Red Bull Racing made its Formula 1 debut in 2005 after taking over the Jaguar team. Initially known mainly as an energy drink company, the team quickly established itself as a serious contender. It was founded by Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of Red Bull, who passed away in 2022. He appointed Helmut Marko as advisor, who in turn brought in Christian Horner as team principal.

David Coulthard and Christian Klien formed the team’s first driver line-up. One of Horner’s first key moves was recruiting chief designer Adrian Newey, who joined in 2006 after working with Coulthard at McLaren.

A few years later, the importance of Newey’s arrival became clear. Together with Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull won four consecutive world titles between 2010 and 2013. The introduction of hybrid engines proved less successful for Red Bull, while Mercedes dominated the sport between 2014 and 2021. In 2021, Red Bull made a major step forward, securing the drivers’ title. In 2022 and 2023, everything came together, with Newey designing a dominant car that delivered back-to-back titles for both drivers and constructors.

The opening race weekend of 2026 showed that Red Bull still faced issues. Verstappen crashed in qualifying due to a car problem. Hadjar qualified third but suffered engine issues and was forced to retire. Verstappen dropped from P6 to P20 and was critical of how the race unfolded.

The Chinese Grand Prix marked a difficult weekend for Red Bull Racing. The RB22 struggled with balance, poor starts and a lack of pace. Neither driver scored points in the sprint race. In the main race, Verstappen retired due to an ERS cooling issue, while Hadjar managed to score limited points. The weekend highlighted Red Bull’s struggles with the new regulations and power unit, leaving the team behind rivals such as Mercedes and Ferrari.

The Japanese Grand Prix confirmed that Red Bull was going through a difficult period. Despite updates, the RB22 remained difficult to handle at Suzuka. Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 and started outside the top ten, while Hadjar was unable to compete at the front. In the race, Red Bull lacked the pace to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari and remained in the midfield. The updates did not deliver immediate improvements, and the team lost further ground in both championships.

Red Bull Racing’s drivers are Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. They race with the RB22. Verstappen joined the team in 2016 from sister team Toro Rosso and won his first race immediately in Spain. Hadjar earned his promotion after a strong season with Racing Bulls.

The most successful car in Red Bull’s history is the RB19. Its successor, the RB20, was less competitive and suffered from balance issues, particularly in the second half of the season. In 2025, the team raced with the RB21, which also proved challenging. The RB22 is the team’s car for 2026.

Oracle Red Bull Racing experienced a turbulent 2025 season, unable to replicate the dominance of previous years. The team finished third in the constructors’ championship with 451 points, securing several wins and podiums but falling short of the title. McLaren proved significantly stronger, scoring nearly double the points with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

The season started poorly for Verstappen, who described the RB21 as difficult to drive during several race weekends. After the Dutch Grand Prix, he faced a large deficit to Norris and Piastri, but managed a strong comeback. With one race remaining, the gap to Norris was reduced to twelve points, but it ultimately proved insufficient.

Red Bull ended the season strongly in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen controlled the race from pole position. Norris lost position to Piastri early on, allowing Red Bull to execute its strategy. Despite Verstappen’s victory, McLaren secured the championship, with Norris becoming world champion.

The 2023 Formula 1 season was one of the most dominant in history, with Red Bull winning 21 of 22 races. However, few expected the team to struggle as much as it did in 2024. Even before the season started, internal issues emerged following an investigation into Christian Horner. Although he was ultimately cleared, the situation created unrest within the team.

On track, Red Bull also encountered problems. From the Miami Grand Prix onwards, Verstappen and Perez no longer had the fastest car. The team improved towards the end of the season, but the RB20 was not consistently competitive. Several key figures also left the team, including Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

In 2025, further changes followed. Christian Horner was dismissed during the summer break and replaced by Laurent Mekies. After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Helmut Marko also stepped down from his role.

Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen confirmed he would stay with Red Bull Racing for the 2026 season, ending speculation about a move to Mercedes. He plans to use the first year of the new regulations to assess competitiveness before deciding on his long-term future.

From 2026, Red Bull partners with Ford as its new engine partner. Red Bull will continue to build its own engine, focusing on the internal combustion side, while Ford contributes primarily to the electric components. The new power unit will be branded as Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

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