Red Bull could bring development of the RB22 to an earlier end than it did with last season’s car, as the team considers when to shift its focus towards its 2027 Formula 1 project. Following Audi’s decision not to introduce any further significant power unit upgrades during the current campaign, Red Bull is now evaluating how best to divide its resources between the two seasons.
Laurent Mekies has acknowledged that the Milton Keynes team will eventually have to determine the right moment to reduce work on its current car. Although the RB22’s performance has improved considerably since the beginning of the season, Red Bull remains fourth in the Constructors’ Championship and must balance its immediate objectives against preparations for 2027.
Red Bull could end RB22 development earlier
“I don’t know about the others, but what is certain is that at some point we will have to decide what the right balance will be between this year and next year,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explained.
That decision is expected to arrive sooner than it did during the previous campaign, partly because of the demands created by the current Formula 1 regulations. Red Bull introduced extensive changes after recognising the scale of its initial performance deficit, with the team working aggressively to address the problems affecting the RB22.
“I expect that to happen earlier than last year, especially considering the current regulations,” Laurent Mekies continued. “So we will decide. As far as we are concerned, we have made an enormous number of changes to the car between the first race and this one, in order to try to correct the significant disadvantage we initially had as quickly as possible.”
Improved RB22 performance creates difficult development choice
Red Bull’s position remains challenging despite the progress made since the opening round. The Austrian team currently occupies fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, but its pace has improved significantly compared with the beginning of the season. That progress was also reflected in the assessment of Isack Hadjar’s development at Red Bull heading into the summer break.
The immediate objective is therefore to preserve the results already achieved while attempting to reduce the remaining gap. However, every further commitment to the RB22 must now be considered alongside the resources required to develop the team’s 2027 car.
“We will try to improve our gap even further, but it is difficult to understand whether we will be able to do so,” Laurent Mekies concluded.
Red Bull must now decide how much more performance can realistically be extracted from the RB22 before attention turns decisively towards the following season. The timing of that switch could prove important: ending development too early may limit the team’s prospects during the remainder of 2026, while delaying the move could compromise preparations for its 2027 challenger.
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