Red Bull Racing admitted that it is paying the price for the decision to fight until the end for the Formula 1 title in 2025. Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that the effort to compete for the championship last year compromised the development of the current car and affected the start of the 2026 season.
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In the final stretch of 2025, the team concentrated resources in an attempt to reverse Max Verstappen’s disadvantage in the championship. The Dutchman managed to reduce a 104-point gap to Oscar Piastri in the final nine races, but finished just two points behind champion Lando Norris.
According to Mekies, the decision to continue developing the 2025 car was conscious and supported by the entire team: “This was easy because nobody wanted to give up,” the executive stated, explaining that abandoning the previous season to focus on 2026 would have been a wrong choice.
The Frenchman highlighted that Red Bull preferred to understand the limitations of the 2025 car before turning the page: “We thought, and we still think, that it was the right thing to do, because we felt that turning the page to 2026 would have been a bit of an easy way out and an illusion that next year would be better,” he stated.
Despite the conviction in the strategy, Mekies acknowledged that the impact on current performance is evident: “Does the time and energy we invested in last year’s final effort have an impact on where we start in 2026? Of course it does. So, of course, we pay a bit of the price today,” he said.
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Even so, the Red Bull boss guaranteed that the team does not intend to use this as a justification for the current poor results: “We are not happy with the starting point, but we believe we will overcome these difficulties. This team has been very good at turning things around, and we have another chance to do that this year,” he added.
Mekies also highlighted that the reaction in the second half of 2025 was important for the team’s morale. Verstappen won six of the last nine races, after a difficult start to the season, marked by underperformance and internal pressure.
The executive stated that, even with the arrival of new regulations and structural changes for 2026, the team decided not to abandon the 2025 season: “Nobody wanted to turn the page. Everyone wanted to get to the bottom of that 2025 car and turn things around, even knowing there would be a price to pay later,” he completed.
Now, the challenge is even greater. After three GPs in 2026, Red Bull Racing occupies only sixth position in the constructors’ championship, behind even Haas and Alpine, and is already 119 points behind Mercedes, the leader of the standings.
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