Max Verstappen believes Red Bull should use the remaining seven or eight Formula 1 weekends in 2026 as a learning opportunity rather than focusing solely on race results. The four-time world champion acknowledged that Red Bull is no longer fighting for championships this year, making it an ideal time to gather valuable development data.
Verstappen emphasized the importance of testing different car configurations across various track types to understand what changes are needed for next year's RB23. He revealed plans for bigger changes to the 2027 car that cannot be implemented on the current RB22 chassis due to structural limitations and budget cap restrictions.
Isack Hadjar echoed his teammate's approach, stating they should make all mistakes now and try everything possible during the final races. The Frenchman described the remaining weekends as eight races without pressure to learn as much as possible and arrive ready for 2027.
Both drivers expressed alignment on the structural changes needed for next year's car, though they declined to specify details. Verstappen noted that competing for wins in 2027 will require much bigger steps in car development, power unit improvements, and overall package refinement beyond what can be achieved through fine-tuning.