Max Verstappen made an impressive return to the title race in the second half of 2025. The Dutchman’s comeback was made possible in part by Red Bull’s decision to continue developing the 2025 car, team principal Laurent Mekies reveals, although this came at the expense of the 2026 challenger. ‘The team knew a price would have to be paid later, but that’s how strong the fighting spirit in the team is,’ says the Frenchman.
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After three Grands Prix, Red Bull currently sits in sixth place in the constructors’ championship. The team has earned sixteen world championship points, putting them level with Alpine. There is no trace left of the momentum from the end of the 2025 season – when Max Verstappen made an impressive comeback in the title race.
According to team principal Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s decision to still fight for the title in 2025 ultimately came at the expense of the development of the 2026 car. “There were plenty of reasons, with the new rules coming for 2026 and the new power unit project, to say: ‘You know what, let’s turn the page. 2025 didn’t work, let’s focus on 2026’,” the Frenchman recalls the moment he started as Red Bull team principal, in the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“The truth is that nobody in Milton Keynes wanted that. Nobody wanted to turn the page,” the Frenchman reveals. “They all wanted to get to the bottom of what was wrong with that 2025 car and turn the tide. They knew a price would have to be paid later, but that’s how strong the fighting spirit in the team is.”
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No regrets
A season later, after three Grands Prix, Red Bull sits lower than midfield team Haas in the constructors’ championship. Yet Mekies has no regrets about the decision to develop the 2025 car further than initially intended. “We thought, and still think, that this was the right choice,” Mekies confirms. “We felt that turning the page to 2026 would have been an easy way out and wishful thinking that ‘next year would be better,’ even though we didn’t really understand the limitations of 2025.”
“Of course, the time and energy we put into the final sprint last year affects where we start in 2026,” Mekies adds. “Do we use that as an excuse? No. We are not satisfied with the starting point, but we think we will overcome these difficulties, just as we did last year,” the team principal concludes positively.
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