Red Bull's team principal, Laurent Mekies, has refuted speculation that his team possesses the most powerful engine in Formula 1, and as a result, he anticipates that they will be granted the chance to improve it during an upcoming engine upgrade window. The new power unit regulations for the 2026 season include a performance-balancing measure known as Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO), which allows manufacturers trailing the leader by two percent or more to develop their engines.
Despite Mercedes' dominance in the opening three rounds, there has been speculation that Red Bull actually has the strongest internal combustion engine, which is being measured to determine who benefits from ADUO. However, Mekies has denied this, stating that Red Bull's engine is 'absolutely not' at the level of the best and expressing hope that they will be able to catch up.
Mekies agrees with Mercedes' chief, Toto Wolff, that ADUO should enable manufacturers to catch up rather than leapfrog their rivals. The regulations provide three periods of ADUO during the season, with those deemed to be at least two percent behind the manufacturer with the best-performing internal combustion engine awarded development opportunities.
Wolff believes that only Honda, which supplies Aston Martin's engine, needs assistance from the regulations, while Red Bull, Ferrari, and Audi are in a similar performance bracket to Mercedes. Mekies estimates that Mercedes has a three-tenths of a second per lap advantage over Red Bull, largely due to their internal combustion engine.
Red Bull's poor start to the season has raised doubts about whether four-time world champion Max Verstappen will remain with the team beyond the end of the year. However, Mekies is optimistic that upcoming upgrades will provide a platform for Verstappen to push the car's development forward and lift his spirits. Verstappen has expressed unhappiness with the 2026 regulations and is considering stepping away from the sport at the end of the year. Mekies believes that the team's priority is to give Verstappen a car he can consistently push, and he is confident that they will get to the bottom of what is limiting them and make improvements.