Max Verstappen reveals what scares him about the 2026 Formula 1 rule changes

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Max Verstappen doesn’t quite have as much to lose as some of his rivals do during the 2026 F1 season. The new rules are bound to mix things up.

Someone is going to gain big, and others will drop, creating the potential for an unpredictable drivers’ championship fight.

One of the biggest question marks looms around Red Bull and their ability to produce a strong power unit in partnership with Ford.

They’re under pressure to deliver, otherwise Verstappen won’t hesitate to start exploring alternative openings for the future.

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Verstappen has been giving Kimi Antonelli ‘tips’ in a sign that he is willing to build a bond with the Mercedes driver.

Looking ahead to the new season, Verstappen hasn’t done much simulator work to prepare for a new generation of cars, which is a small surprise. He backs himself to get an immediate grip at testing.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko warns Red Bull it is ‘only logical’ Max Verstappen could leave to chase real F1 dream

Max Verstappen is scared by the potential for ‘very large’ gaps between F1 teams in 2026

Red Bull will develop their car ‘three or four’ times faster in 2026, which is a strong indication why they shouldn’t panic if they start a little bit behind their rivals.

As is always the case, heading to the European portion of the campaign, they’ll have plenty of chances to play catch-up.

But it’s those gaps between the midfield and top teams that Verstappen is worried about. Speaking to La Gazetta dello Sport, he detailed how he thinks there will be a ‘very large’ gulf.

“At the beginning, the gap between teams will be very large. When a new regulation arrives in Formula 1, it’s always like this.

“There will be one or two teams that start much better than the others, and then the situation will level out as time goes by. The hope is that we can reach a balanced situation fairly quickly.”

Verstappen will be patient with Red Bull, which takes away some of the pressure they’ll face early on, but they’re far from title favourites for the time being.

READ MORE: F1 fans are all saying the same thing as Red Bull launch their new livery for the 2026 season

Why Max Verstappen is right about the 2026 Formula 1 regulations

Looking back at previous years with significant changes, it’s clear to see why what Verstappen is saying about this year’s alterations is warranted.

In 2014, Nico Rosberg won the season-opener in Australia by nearly 30 seconds, while teammate Lewis Hamilton and reigning champion Sebastian Vettel retired with reliability woes.

They went on to dominate that season, and the gap between the slowest and fastest car was 6.2 seconds in Q1.

It wasn’t quite as bad as that in 2017 or 2022, but it was a very similar tale. The biggest gulf in design interpretation will be now, and that’s going to create a few gaps on track. In other words, expect the unexpected.