Photo by Kym Illman/Getty ImagesLaurent Mekies has suggested that a major change at Red Bull’s factory could elevate the team to a completely new level.Early in the 2026 Formula 1 season, Red Bull have found it tough to keep up with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.After three races, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar have managed only 16 points between them, leaving them tied with Alpine in the standings.Their issues haven’t been limited to performance either. It’s also been confirmed that Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will be heading to McLaren in 2028.Laurent Mekies believes upcoming changes will transform Red Bull’s prospectsSpeaking to The Guardian, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies pointed to the team’s soon-to-be-completed wind tunnel as a major step forward.
He believes the new facility will help close the gap to their rivals.He also addressed Red Bull’s decision to build their own power unit, saying it has put them in a unique position for the future.Mekies said: “As much as it was a crazy decision, a crazy investment, now it put us into an incredible situation for the next five to 10 years.“The power unit decision of four years ago that puts you in a position of being completely independent… for years to come, with the support of [engine partners] Ford.“I was not involved in those decisions, just credit to the guys before. The fact that we have this wind tunnel coming sometime next year also puts you at a completely different level.Mekies acknowledged that while Red Bull may be behind in some areas compared to their competitors, he believes they are well positioned for long-term success.“So it’s true that the opposition may have shot ahead compared to us in some respects but globally, in terms of the legs of the project, it put us into an incredible position.”Laurent Mekies pleased with early results from Red Bull’s new engineThere had been questions about whether Red Bull’s in-house power unit project might leave them at a disadvantage, but Mekies is confident in how the RB22 engine has performed so far.While Red Bull still has ground to make up compared to the front-runners, Mekies believes the path forward is clear and achievable.Mekies said: “It has clearly exceeded expectations.
We were gearing up from a much further away starting point. It’s something that could have put the project at big risk for two or three years.“But now the ghost of the power unit – is Oracle Red Bull Racing going to have a strong enough power unit for the years to come? – has disappeared.“We have our own issues. We need to get these tenths back, we need to fix what we need to fix with the car.
This, we know how to do. It’s going to happen, not in Miami, but it’s going to happen.”Read more:George Russell backs Lewis Hamilton’s take on why the 2026 F1 regulations will be good for racingIsack Hadjar Admits He Was Concerned About Teaming Up With Max Verstappen at Red BullGeorge Russell explains why Mercedes contract clause gives him confidence despite Max Verstappen links