Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies explained why the team opted to delay development of its 2026 Formula 1 challenger, amid its 2025 resurgence.
The Milton Keynes-based squad began 2025 under a cloud of low expectations, matched by the results, as McLaren dominated the first two-thirds of the season.
But a latter-season glut of upgrades amid Mekies’ replacement of Christian Horner at the helm saw Max Verstappen mount an extraordinary comeback.
With many teams beginning to wind down the development of their cars throughout their season, the RB21 continued to be handed updates.
The gamble almost paid off, as Verstappen overturned a three-digit deficit to take the title down to the final round, losing out by just two points.
With Ferrari choosing to cease significant development of its SF-25 in April, effectively giving up on its chances, Mekies explained that Red Bull has the opposite frame of mind.
“It became quite obvious to us that we didn’t want to simply turn the page and have wishful thinking that, whilst the ’25 car had not been at the required level to fight for the title, we would then be okay doing so in ’26,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So we didn’t want to go down that route. We wanted to go on the route of: we need to get to the bottom of this project.
“We need to understand why it’s not performing, because fundamentally, we’ll be using the same tools, the same process, the same methodologies next year.
“And yes, we may lose some time in doing so, but we didn’t want to go for the wishful thinking route.
“So… was it difficult? No. It’s something we have been very, very convinced of since very early on in the summer.”
Mekies: ‘Huge amount of learning’ of ’25 car will give Red Bull help in ’26
To many, being behind on development on its ’26 car would naturally lead to a conclusion of being at a disadvantage by the time the cars line up on the grid in Melbourne in March.
Perhaps even more so, given that next season sees the team race with its own in-house power unit, in alliance with Ford, with previous manufacturer Honda teaming up with Aston Martin.
But Mekies believes that the experience gained from continuing to tweak the RB21 has given the team added proficiency heading into the new campaign, regardless of the new rulebook providing added work.
“Of course, there was a huge amount of learning,” he said. “First, on methodologies… what do you need to make the car faster, what do you do to go around the given limitations?
“Tyres, of course, the correlation of your tools, where you think it’s right to add performance, etc., etc.?
“So the common areas are huge, even with completely different regulations.”
Mekies added: “For once, to stay on the human aspect, certainly, it’s a group that, ultimately, whatever happens next, has achieved an unbelievable season,” he adds.
“And I think it’s certainly made the group even more compact, even more tight together, and that gives us the right approach and vibe and energy for next year.
“Does it make us feel that the car is going to be faster or slower than the opposition’s? No, honestly, no.
“But I think as a group, in the way we operate, in the way we accept challenges, in the way we want to move forward, this is helpful, because it’s certainly given us a lot of confirmation about the quality of our people and of our approaches.”
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