Red Bull’s Laurent Mekies: expectations must be managed early on, Max Verstappen fully aware. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explains why expectations must be tempered early in the 2026 F1 season and highlights Max Verstappen’s crucial role in the project..

The Red Bull team principal is under no illusions and explains why Max will have a triple advantage.

A gigantic challenge

The 2026 Formula 1 world championship will also mark the season of Red Bull’s bold decision to build its own engine in-house, leveraging the synergy with Ford and taking on manufacturers that have been producing power units for decades.

In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, team principal Laurent Mekies explained:

“We will need to manage expectations for the first part of the season, making sure that the chassis and the engine work properly. After that, we will make progress, or at least I hope so, but that has always been the case in previous years.”

Difficulties and the Max factor

Mekies also underlined how aware Max Verstappen is of the situation and how deeply involved he is in the project:

“The first few months will be difficult, we will have sleepless nights, and sometimes we may even struggle to get the car out of the garage. But we believe we have the right structure to find the path towards success. Thinking that we could immediately reach the highest level would be naive and foolish. And Max understands that perfectly. But that does not mean we lack the ambition to become number one. Max is involved in every discussion, every analysis and in choosing which risks to take.”

Helmut Marko has often puffed out his chest by proudly highlighting the so-called ‘Max factor’. In his own style, Laurent Mekies expressed the same concept:

“With Max, we have a triple advantage. First of all, his level of involvement in the project, then his sensitivity behind the wheel and his ability to manage everything, and finally his way of pushing the team in the right direction.”