Worrying Red Bull Rumour is Circulating F1 Hours Before 2026 Car Launch

A 'worrying' Red Bull rumour is reportedly circulating before the start of 2026 pre-season testing.

Red Bull failed to win either the Drivers' Championship or the Constructors' Championship for the first time since 2020 last season.

Max Verstappen did, however, only finish two points behind eventual champion Lando Norris, who won the title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The team finished third in the Constructors' Championship behind McLaren and Ferrari, with Verstappen scoring a staggering 421 of their total 451 points.

Red Bull's performance picked up following the appointment of Laurent Mekies as team principal, with the Frenchman replacing Christian Horner.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies pictured (Image: Getty)

Verstappen has stated his belief that, had the decision been made earlier, he could have won the Drivers' Championship, having won each of the last three races.

Given his background is in engineering, there certainly appeared to be optimism that Mekies could lead Red Bull into another championship-winning season in 2026 amid major regulation changes being introduced.

Pre-season testing gets underway on January with a behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona - but F1-Insider report that there are rumours that several teams are holding concerns.

It is claimed, according to the rumours, that 'several teams may have difficulty getting a race-ready car onto the track for the first day of testing'.

Red Bull Racing finished third in the 2025 Constructors' Championship standings, behind McLaren and Ferrari (Image: Getty)

Ferrari, Red Bull and Alpine are named as the three teams concerned, though it is added that there is no evidence to support the claims as yet and none of the three teams have made any official comment.

SPORTbible have contacted Red Bull Racing for comment.

Red Bull are set to launch their 2026 challenger on January 15 alongside Racing Bulls, becoming the first of the 11 teams to do so.

The other nine teams will follow up until February 9, when both McLaren and Aston Martin unveil their cars.

There will be a mixture of online and in-person unveiling ceremonies - with the exception of new 11th constructor Cadillac, who will unveil their car through a special advert to be played during the Super Bowl.