Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has admitted the team is paying the price for its late 2025 title push with Max Verstappen, as resources were diverted from its 2026 car. The RB22 has been the fourth-quickest so far this season, trailing Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Despite the setback, Mekies insists the team does not regret the decision and expects to recover.
In 2025, Max Verstappen overturned Oscar Piastri's 104-point championship lead over the final nine grands prix, finishing just two points behind McLaren's Lando Norris. The effort strained Red Bull's resources under the budget cap and aerodynamic testing restrictions, with final upgrades arriving as late as the Mexican Grand Prix in October. While rivals shifted focus to 2026's new technical regulations, Red Bull prioritized its RB21 challenger from Milton Keynes. Mekies, speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, defended the choice. 'That was easy because nobody wanted to give up,' he said. 'We thought and we still think it was the right thing to do... Now, of course, the time and energy we invested for the late push last year, does it have an impact on where you start ’26? Of course, it does. So, of course, we pay a bit of the price today.' The push boosted team morale, with Verstappen securing six wins in those nine races despite painful setbacks like Zandvoort, Budapest and Brazil. Mekies highlighted the fighting spirit in Milton Keynes, noting a new boss arrived mid-season amid high pressure. Red Bull sits sixth in the constructors' standings after three grands prix, behind Haas and Alpine, and 119 points adrift of Mercedes. The RB22 was outqualified by Pierre Gasly's Alpine in China and Japan. Mekies rejected excuses: 'We are not happy with the starting point, but we think we will get through these difficulties... this team has been very, very good in turning things around.'
