Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies has spoken of the “conflicting” nature behind his successful drivers being promoted to the senior Red Bull Formula 1 outfit.
Last year, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda campaigned for a seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, with the New Zealander initially securing the coveted prize.
Eventually, Lawson was dropped by Red Bull after just two races in the 2025 season, returning to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda heading the other way.
It’s a tale as old as time: the Faenza-based Racing Bulls outfit in its various guises has always been used as a proving ground for Red Bull juniors on the F1 stage, before heading to the senior team.
Then it’s sink or swim, some survive, others return to Racing Bulls to ensure they can get their F1 careers back up and running.
In an exclusive conversation with Peter Bayer at Bahrain pre-season testing, the Racing Bulls CEO told Motorsport Week that “what we do is proof of concept of the Red Bull junior programme working.”
However, as Mekies discussed on the James Allen on F1 podcast, doing so can often get in the way of Racing Bulls’ primary goal of generating strong results.
It’s a balance, however, that Racing Bulls takes positives from.
“Our main objective is competitiveness. Our second objective is to play our part in developing Red Bull drivers,” Mekies said.
“Therefore, if and when our drivers are performing well enough to get the attention of the wider Red Bull family to the point to get promoted, it’s a success.
“Now, sometimes the second objective is conflicting with the first objective, but nonetheless it was a success last year when we put on the table two drivers potentially able to go to Red Bull Racing.
“It is a success again for us this year when we see Yuki given the opportunity. And Yuki is a driver that has grown in an incredible way in the last year and a half.
“We are used to seeing drivers grow in the first two years of their careers. But what Yuki has done in year four and year five has been extraordinary.
“It’s a great moment for Yuki. He deserves it. It’s a great moment for the team to be able to see him moving there, so of course we are very happy.”
Handling a Red Bull demotion at Racing Bulls
The Red Bull promotion, as mentioned, is a double-edged sword.
Lawson found this out the hard way, being sent back to Racing Bulls after just two GP weekends.
Ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bayer told select media including Motorsport Week that “Honestly, I think it took a moment for him to digest.
“First time I saw him when he came to Italy, he looked a bit sad,” he continued.
“Honestly, that’s how I perceived him. He was a bit puzzled with everything that happened very quickly.
“But also, at the same time, he knew the people, the tools, the set-up. And I really felt that very quickly he was returning to being the old Liam.
“He’s a great racer, somebody that has great humour, and that’s what we see now again.”
Speaking on the James Allen podcast, Mekies also added comments regarding Lawson’s return to form at Racing Bulls.
“He’s still the talented guy that was driving for us a few weeks or months ago,” he said.
“We completely get how brutal it can be on the sharp end of the grid and we are convinced the speed is there.
“He knows he has the full support. He has been able to digest, learn, and improve with us. And you can see already in Japan, Bahrain, Jeddah; a step forward every race.
“He was only half a tenth or so from Q3 in Jeddah. We are sure that he’s going to come back to the speed he showed last year.”
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