Max Verstappen reacts to hearing Red Bull-Ford engine for first time

Max Verstappen confirmed that he has heard the new Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine fired up, ahead of F1 2026.

Formula 1 will return to action in 2026 to a very different landscape. New chassis and engine regulations have been introduced, with Red Bull taking the leap of becoming a power unit manufacturer for the first time. Verstappen enjoyed the “crisp” sound which he has heard from the engine ahead of its debut.

Max Verstappen on Red Bull-Ford engine: ‘It sounded good’

The winds of change will blow through Formula 1 for 2026.

Smaller, lighter cars are on the way, ones which will make use of active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings. This saw the Drag Reduction System [DRS] retired at the end of 2025.

The engines meanwhile will feature a 50/50 split between electrical and internal combustion engine power.

Energy management and deployment, therefore, is expected to play a critical role in F1 2026.

The new internal combustion engine will run on fully sustainable biofuel.

The Pirelli tyres for F1 2026, meanwhile, will be 25 millimeters narrower at the front and 30mm at the rear.

A particularly intriguing F1 2026 player is Red Bull. Honda has transitioned to powering Aston Martin, with Red Bull committing to its own engine programme.

Red Bull has partnered with American automotive giant Ford on the engine which will power both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls from F1 2026.

After missing out on a fifth World Championship by just two points in 2025, Verstappen will be out to reclaim his throne. How performant the first Red Bull-Ford engine proves to be, will play a key role in his chances.

So far, Honda and Mercedes has publicly released the soundtrack to their new engine.

Verstappen was asked on Red Bull’s in-house podcast, ‘Talking Bull’, whether he had yet heard Red Bull-Ford’s?

Verstappen gave a nod to signal that he has, before quipping: “It makes a noise!”

He would go on to give a more, detailed, reaction.

“It sounded good. Of course, you hear it on a dyno, but it sounded, like, crisp.

“I mean, I’m not sure they actually develop on the noise, but it made a good noise.

“I mean, it’s not a V10.”

F1 2026: All the details you need

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Be that as it may, it sounds like a box ticked for the engine noise. Now, we wait to see what the performance will be like.

Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has been making some encouraging noises on that front.

“What’s the reference for next year? Nobody knows,” Vermeulen told the Dutch edition of RacingNews365.

“So it will be very clear in the first few races how things are panning out. So we start with a fresh approach.

“We hear good things about the engine, but what is good?

“I don’t know, what’s the reference? So let’s wait and see.”

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