After a very long time, Max Verstappen is not walking into a new F1 season as the clear favorite but if anyone thinks that makes the Red Bull driver less dangerous heading into 2026, James Hinchcliffe has a very different view.
The former IndyCar driver and current F1 analyst believes Verstappen may actually be entering one of the most threatening phases of his career and that should worry the rest of the grid.
Max Verstappen Refuses to Fold
After narrowly missing out on the 2025 drivers’ championship at Abu Dhabi, Verstappen was left to process defeat for the first time in years. A difficult opening half of the season combined with Red Bull’s struggles to match McLaren’s pace, ultimately cost him a fifth straight title but he refused to give up.
At one stage, he trailed the McLaren drivers by more than 100 points but Verstappen’s comeback over the second half of 2025 ended just two points short of one of the most remarkable title reversals in F1 history. While it was not enough to lift the trophy, it left a strong impression on those watching him closely.
Hinchcliffe was particularly struck by Verstappen’s mindset after the Abu Dhabi finale and pointed to a pattern that continues to define Verstappen’s career, “It’s so funny man. Just when you think you can’t be anymore impressed with Max Verstappen, first of all, he drives the way he does all season long…. To maintain that and not lose hope, I guess, or motivation when it looked like it was all lost mid-season.”
That refusal to give in is central to Verstappen’s identity in F1 as since debuting as a teenager, he has built a reputation as a driver who thrives in chaos and adapts faster than most. Winning four world titles did not soften that edge and Hinchcliffe believes losing one will have only sharpened it.
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies has also echoed that thought and believes Verstappen operates with more “brainpower” than his rivals, a trait that could prove decisive under the new 2026 regulations.
Verstappen Could Get Stronger According to James Hinchcliffe
F1 enters uncharted territory in 2026 as a heavier reliance on electrical energy and active aerodynamics will force drivers to rethink how they attack and defend on track, and is a reset that could shuffle the competitive order.
Hinchcliffe believes Verstappen is uniquely positioned to benefit, “I’m sorry guys, there’s nobody on the grid that has more bandwidth in hand than Verstappen. So there’s a chance he’s actually gonna be even higher than everybody. I think the gap’s grow to the rest of the field.”
The team completed solid mileage across the first two days and Verstappen still has a full day of running ahead, although Isack Hadjar’s crash seemed to have delayed their last test run. Those laps will be crucial as Red Bull tries to understand how its performance stacks up under the new rules.
These few test runs will be crucial and with a car built around innovation and a driver known for adapting faster than most, Red Bull’s 2026 project is clearly centered on Verstappen’s strengths.
