Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has dismissed the idea that the team’s late-season resurgence in Formula 1 will have a negative impact on its 2026 challenger.
The Milton Keynes-based squad has completed a remarkable turnaround in form since the resumption of F1 after the summer break.
Max Verstappen has achieved a 100 per cent podium record in six races, claiming three victories, and is now an outside contender to retain the Drivers’ title.
Much of this has been down to the team introducing a plethora of upgrades, mostly focused on the floor of the RB21, which has enabled Verstappen to rediscover his winning streak.
The team has already set the bar low next season, given that it is entering into the sport’s overhauled technical regulations amid a new power unit partnership with Ford.
But Mekies, following the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Red Bull was unable to rival McLaren, believes that the team will benefit in the long term from this newfound form.
“We are doing it this way because we think for us, let alone the other guys, we think for us it’s a net gain,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“We validate our approaches and hence we calibrate for 2026. If we thought it would compromise it, we would not be doing it.
“We know it’s a price to pay. We think it’s reasonable and we think it’s worth it.”
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It is not the first time that Red Bull has introduced changes to its machines late in a season, having done so in the first of Verstappen’s four straight title successes.
Mekies countered that adapting the RB21, rather than letting it stagnate, may give it a clearer idea of how to approach next year, regardless of the change in rules.
“With regards to why we have kept developing this car, perhaps a little bit more than competitors, it’s nothing to do with ’26,” he added.
“It was, I think, as we have commented on a few times, if we were turning the page at the point of the season where we were very unhappy about this car, not reaching the full potential, then you would go to 2026 with a lot of questions in your head and with a lot of wishful thinking.
“We have preferred to say we invested a little bit more in this car. We tried to unlock what we felt had not worked and got a bit of performance out of it.
“Gave us a lot more confidence in the tools, methodologies, approaches going into 2026.
“Yes, there is of course a lot of time and energy left for that, but that’s the rationale behind it. Nothing to do with PU performance whatsoever.”
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