The Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies attended the traditional ‘Caschi d’Oro’ evening organized by Autosprint, where he spoke candidly about the challenges the team will face with their 2026 power unit.
What the Red Bull team principal said
“In January, we will spend more time in the garage than on track.”
“From what I understand, Red Bull will have issues with the power unit.”
“Red Bull knows it won’t have a chance in 2026, which is why it tried to develop until the very end of 2025 in an attempt to win the Championship.”
These statements, in order, come from Max Verstappen, Johnny Herbert, and Juan Pablo Montoya, and they highlight the same point: in 2026, Red Bull faces a leap into the unknown, marking its first season as an engine manufacturer in Formula 1 at a time when the technology behind these power units is extremely complex.
Laurent Mekies on Red Bull’s 2026 power unit
Speaking to Sky during the event, Laurent Mekies did not hide the fact that a difficult start from a power unit perspective was anticipated:
“The decision to create our own power unit with the help of Ford is almost crazy,” Laurent Mekies said. “There was nothing in Milton Keynes, and we decided to build this power unit from scratch, hiring hundreds of people and purchasing dynamometers. We are well aware that we cannot expect to immediately reach the level of those who have been making engines for 90 years. We will still stick to the Red Bull philosophy, taking maximum risks, and we hope to find the right balance quickly.”
Reflecting on the risks of 2025
Red Bull also took significant risks in 2025, narrowly missing out on the title:
“I cannot say it doesn’t hurt to lose the title by two points because that would be a lie,” Laurent Mekies added. “But we won the last three races, and we have very little to regret. We took every possible risk, and sometimes it backfired, for example in qualifying in Brazil or in general in Hungary. We must still be proud, and I congratulate Lando Norris and McLaren, who had a fantastic season.”
That aggressive approach nearly delivered another championship double, showcasing the team’s refusal to ease off despite the looming engine transition. As the grid prepares for the most significant technical overhaul in years, Laurent Mekies’ pragmatic outlook underscores Red Bull’s determination to embrace the unknown while learning from a 2025 campaign that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very end.
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