F1 | Red Bull, Mekies: "We have a huge job to do, unfortunately we're not the benchmark."

Laurent Mekies takes pressure off RedBull. The French engineer, who has been in charge of Red Bull since July 2025 when he took over from Chris Horner, he underlined how the Milton Keynes team is not among the favourites at least at the start of this season which will start on March 8 with the Australian Grand Prix which will take place on the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne.

Red Bull is one of the most anticipated teams of this new technical cycle, which sees it take to the track with its own power unit in collaboration with Ford. Among the team's key figures are Max Verstappen, with the four-time world champion deciding to remain alongside Red Bull at the start of this regulatory phase.

The Dutchman himself had an extraordinary 2025 season, remaining in contention for the title until the final race of the season despite not having the most competitive car on the grid in the medium and long term. Max finished just two points shy of the title, which was won by McLaren driver Lando Norris.

"There's a lot of play in pit lane to try to shift the focus to the competition, and our approach is to keep the noise down so we can focus on ourselves," Mekies said in an interview with RacingNews365. "We have a huge job to do. Unfortunately, we're not the benchmark. We're very confident that we're probably behind the top group right now."

Mekies, continuing his speech, added: “However, it’s fair to say that probably a lot of the pit lane was surprised that we were able to run with that level of consistency with a completely new project.”

The Anglo-Austrian team's team principal, concluding his remarks, said: "Once again, this is something our team in Milton Keynes should be proud of. The competitiveness that lies ahead will be enormous, and it will take a long time to reach the level we want."

Red Bull's numbers in pre-season testing

2026 represents a crucial turning point in the history of Red Bull. For the first time since its inception, the Milton Keynes team faces the championship with a power unit developed internally through Red Bull Powertrains, project born after Honda's farewell and built in collaboration with Ford Motor Company. The new engine also equips the satellite team Racing Bulls, Consolidating a fully integrated technical structure. This is a strategic choice that has matured over time, supported by significant investments and the entry of technicians from companies that have consolidated over the years, such as Mercedes Benz e Honda.

In the paddock, between the test sessions at Montmelo and those in Bahrain, several insiders have indicated the new Austrian engine as one of the initial benchmarks of the recently inaugurated regulatory phase. A judgment that the team principal Laurent mekies He called for a rethink, emphasizing how winter testing offers only partial indications and how the true comparison emerges only in race conditions, when loads, temperatures, and energy management are put under pressure.

The Barcelona shakedown had raised some questions, especially regarding the reliability of a completely new powertrain. However, the initial feedback from the track was encouraging: regular mileage, absence of structural criticalities and a technical basis consistent with the simulations carried out on the test benchThe running-in phase allowed technicians to gather valuable data on the integration between the internal combustion engine, the hybrid component, and the energy management software, a key element in the new regulation.

In Bahrain, during the official tests, Red Bull confirmed this trend. In the first block of tests, the team completed 343 rounds, while in the second he closed at 329 numbers that demonstrate operational continuity and a program that was almost completely respected. There were some small setbacks., such as the technical problems that have limited Isaac Hadjar in the first week, but overall the RB22 has shown steady progress in terms of mechanical stability.

Beyond the mileage figure, what impressed observers was the smoothness of power delivery and energy management when exiting corners, key aspects with the new 2026 specifications. Work now focuses on optimizing the mappings and the correlation between simulator and track, an essential step to arrive in Melbourne with a competitive package not only over the single lap, but also over race distance.