Red Bull Racing has an important moment this weekend, with Laurent Mekies describing the Miami GP of Formula 1 as a ‘significant’ moment for the partnership with Ford.
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This stage represents the debut of Red Bull Powertrains-Ford in the USA, in a calendar that will have three races in the country in 2026. The context increases the pressure on the team, which has only sixteen points in the first three stages after a complicated start.
“The Miami GP is the first of three in the USA and, therefore, an important moment for us, as Red Bull Powertrains-Ford makes its debut in North America,” said Mekies. He highlighted that the recent break in April was essential for adjustments, after reliability problems in the power unit and difficulties in the chassis, including excess weight.
During this break, the team intensified development and worked on a robust package of updates for Miami. Among the expected changes are a new front wing, changes to the sidepods, and adjustments to the rear wing mechanism on the straight. Still, Mekies avoided creating expectations of an immediate recovery.
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“Miami will, in practice, be a restart for the season,” he said. “We do not expect to solve all problems at once, but we want to give the drivers a more comfortable car to explore.” According to him, both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar actively participated in the evolution process.
Red Bull also conducted tests at Silverstone during the break, taking advantage of a filming day to gain track time before the Sprint format in Miami. Mekies emphasized that only performance on the track will indicate real progress: “Only Miami will show how much we have advanced and what we still need to improve,” he concluded.
