Max Verstappen says Melbourne is the real test for Red Bull Racing's RB22

Red Bull Racing have taken a major step this season by building their first-ever F1 power unit in collaboration with Ford.

The RB22, powered by the DM-01, named in honor of the late Red Bull founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, has impressed with its reliability in preseason testing, while some rivals have gone as far as labeling the Milton Keynes squad as favorites.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen admitted to a sense of pride and anticipation as he gears up to battle in his RB22.

"It will be great to be back on track and start up the season," he said in Red Bull Racing's race preview. "It has felt like a long buildup to this point, and it is exciting to finally get out racing again.

"In Bahrain, seeing the car with our own power unit getting in so many laps was very impressive; there were a lot of proud faces seeing it go out for the first time, and the Team have done a great job. We've been driving the car in the simulator for such a long time, so when it was finally time to come back and see the car ready to go, I did get goosebumps.

"Now is the real test," the Dutchman declared. "Looking to Melbourne, I don't know how it is all going to play out, but we have been learning a lot and working on optimizing the car as best we can. Obviously, this track has many great memories for me, especially driving my first-ever F1 race here.

"But this year will be a particularly exciting challenge, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes," the four-time F1 Champion concluded.

The driver tasked with driving the other RB22, newcomer Isack Hadjar, also gave his view ahead of his debut with the energy drinks squad as he hopes to put the nightmare race he had in Melbourne in 2025 behind him.

Hadjar said: "I'm excited to get to Melbourne and begin my first weekend as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver. It's a special moment for me and something I've been working toward for a long time.

"The preparation over the winter has been intense, but Albert Park is an incredible circuit, and I feel ready. The goal for this weekend is to build confidence with the new regulations under race conditions, work closely with the Team, and extract everything we can from the car from the very first session to set ourselves up for the season," he explained.

Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies, who heads into his first full season at the helm, is approaching this weekend keeping in mind the huge effort his team has put in to deliver the RB22 according to the new 2026 F1 regulations.

He commented: "Melbourne represents a monumental moment for the Team, marking the debut of RB22, our first car built to comply with these new regulations and, very significantly, the first appearance of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains DM-01 under race conditions.

"It's the result of an immense amount of work, dedication, and belief from everyone involved in the project. We know there's a mountain to climb—building a competitive power unit from the ground up is one of the biggest challenges to face in our sport.

"But it's a challenge we've embraced together. This weekend is the biggest step on that journey so far," the Frenchman concluded.

Hannah Schmitz, the strategy engineer behind some of Red Bull Racing's and Verstappen's greatest victories, is wary of the challenge the new cars and regulations will present to the strategy teams.

She said: "The start of a new season always brings a level of uncertainty, and this year there are even more variables to understand, but that's what makes the strategic side so compelling for me.

"We'll need to stay sharp, adaptable, and be ready to make decisive calls in the early rounds, so there's a big challenge ahead of us. It's also incredibly special to have the 'Mueller Schmitz' corner named at Albert Park, recognizing the contribution of women in our sport.

"I feel very proud to be part of that, and I can't wait to see it in person, it will be a meaningful moment," Schmitz concluded.