The China Mail - Verstappen says new Red Bull car gave him 'goosebumps'

The Dutchman was underwhelmed at pre-season testing in Bahrain by this year's rule changes, which have led to a complete overhaul of chassis and engines for every team.

Drivers will have to better manage their batteries on each lap, a task he called "anti-racing".

But with plenty of data collected he is optimistic ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne this weekend.

"It has felt like a long build up to this point and it is exciting to finally get out racing again," said Verstappen, who won six of the last nine Grands Prix in 2025 but narrowly failed to retain his world championship crown.

"In Bahrain, seeing the car with our own power unit getting in so many laps was very impressive.

"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."

Red Bull have dispensed with Honda engines and are competing this season for the first time with their own factory-built power units.

Team chief Laurent Mekies said it had been "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," he added.

Verstappen said he did not "know how it is all going to play out" in Melbourne, a race he won in 2023.

"But we have been learning a lot and working on optimising the car as best we can.

"Obviously, this track has many great memories for me, especially driving my first ever F1 race here," he added.

"But this year will be a particularly exciting challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes."

Verstappen is partnered at Red Bull this year by French driver Isack Hadjar, promoted to the number two seat after a successful rookie season with Racing Bulls.

"The preparation over the winter has been intense, but Albert Park is an incredible circuit and I feel ready," said Hadjar.

"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".

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