Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has publicly dismissed the notion that his squad currently fields the most powerful power unit on the grid. He stressed that Red Bull does not possess the absolute best internal combustion engine (ICE) and that the team is looking forward to the opportunity provided by the new Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) scheme to close any performance gap. The 2026 Formula One technical regulations introduce a performance‑balancing mechanism designed to help manufacturers that fall behind the leading engine supplier by at least two percent. Under ADUO, those teams are granted extra development slots during three predefined windows in the season, allowing them to introduce upgrades that could narrow the deficit.
The first of these windows was originally slated to open after the Miami Grand Prix, but the schedule may be adjusted because the opening two races of the year – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – were cancelled amid the ongoing Middle‑East conflict. Mercedes has dominated the opening three rounds, sitting comfortably at the top of the Constructors' Championship with a 119‑point lead over Red Bull, which currently occupies sixth place. Despite this points disparity, some media outlets have speculated that Red Bull’s power unit may actually be the strongest ICE on the grid, a claim that would make the team eligible for ADUO assistance. Mekies rejected that speculation in an interview with Sky Sports News, saying, "Is it at the level of the very best?
Absolutely not. So do we expect to be in that group of people able to be given the possibility to catch up? Yes, we certainly hope to be in that category." Mekies echoed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s view that ADUO is intended to let lagging manufacturers "catch up" rather than to give anyone a chance to "leapfrog" the leaders. He added that, in his assessment, the Silver Arrows still hold the advantage when it comes to pure ICE performance.
The ADUO framework outlines three distinct periods during the season when eligible teams can introduce new components. To qualify, a manufacturer must be measured as at least two percent slower in ICE output than the benchmark engine – currently believed to be Mercedes’. Wolff has suggested that Honda, which supplies Aston Martin’s power unit, is the only constructor that truly needs the extra development allowance, while Red Bull, Ferrari and Audi are roughly on par with Mercedes. In a separate written interview, Mekies estimated Mercedes’ lap‑time advantage over Red Bull to be around three‑tenths of a second, attributing a large portion of that gap to the German team’s superior ICE.
He explained, "What we see is certainly Mercedes, a long way ahead of most of us. And yes, you're right, one guy – Honda – is particularly behind. The other guys are probably quite close to us, Ferrari and Audi, and fair enough, Honda is probably struggling a bit more. To extract the right combustion‑engine performance in a fair way across the teams is very difficult.
I think overall results are probably giving you the best, the most fair picture, of where everybody is at." Red Bull’s slow start to the season has also fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen with the team. Verstappen, who has voiced dissatisfaction with the 2026 rule changes, hinted in Japan that he might consider stepping away from Formula 1 at the end of the year if the car does not improve. Mekies, however, remains optimistic that the upcoming upgrades will give Verstappen a platform to showcase his talent again and restore his confidence.
"The Max we see is a fully committed Max. He wants a fast car and he's helping the team to get a fast car. He's bringing all his energy to that," Mekies said.
"He's passionate about the sport. As you said, he raised his voice when he felt things needed to be done. We have a step forward for the regulations coming for Miami. He's embracing that.
Will it be enough? We have time to see together if it's going to be enough or not." He continued, "We are conscious that the priority is that we give him a car he can push with. And this has not much to do with the regs. We knew we gave him and Isack (Hadjar) a very difficult car in the first three races.
And we need to give him a car he can consistently push with. Then after, it doesn't mean that it will be fast enough for positions, but it means he can start to bring his 'Max effect' and we can start to build development onto that car." Mekies expressed confidence that, even if the Miami upgrades do not solve every issue immediately, the team will methodically identify and eliminate the performance bottlenecks that have hampered them, much as they did in the previous season. "I have every confidence that things may not be fixed for Miami, but that the team is going to get to the bottom of what is limiting us in the same way that they have done last year, and that you will see more and more smile on Max's face," he concluded. The next opportunity to see the impact of ADUO will come at the Miami Grand Prix, which also marks the season's second Sprint weekend.
The race is scheduled for May 1‑3 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. The outcome of the Miami upgrades and the ADUO window will be closely watched by fans and rivals alike, as they could reshape the competitive landscape ahead of the 2026 season's full rollout.