Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has firmly dismissed the circulating rumors that his outfit possesses the most powerful power unit on the Formula One grid. He stressed that Red Bull does not currently enjoy the very best internal combustion engine (ICE) and therefore hopes to qualify for the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) provision that will open later in the season.
The ADUO scheme, introduced as part of the 2026 power‑unit regulations, is designed to level the playing field by granting extra development allowances to any manufacturer whose ICE lags the leading unit by at least two percent. In practice, this means that teams that are demonstrably slower in the combustion‑engine segment can receive a dedicated upgrade window to close the gap without breaking the cost cap.
The first such window was slated to open after the Miami Grand Prix, but the timetable may shift because the opening two rounds of the year – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – were cancelled amid the ongoing Middle‑East conflict, compressing the calendar. Mercedes has dominated the opening three events, sitting atop the championship with a 119‑point advantage over Red Bull, who are currently in sixth place.
Despite the points disparity, some media outlets have speculated that Red Bull’s ICE could be the strongest on the grid, a notion that Mekies quickly refuted. In an interview with Sky Sports News he said, "Is it at the level of the very best? Absolutely not.
So do we expect to be in that group eligible for the catch‑up programme? Yes, we certainly hope to be in that category." Mekies echoed the sentiment expressed earlier by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who argued that ADUO should be used to help lagging manufacturers "catch up" rather than to allow any team to "leapfrog" the competition. Mekies agreed, adding that the tool is intended to narrow the gap and that he believes the Silver Arrows currently have the strongest ICE. The regulations outline three distinct ADUO periods throughout the season.
Any power unit judged to be at least two percent slower than the benchmark – the fastest ICE – will be granted a set of extra development components and a limited amount of testing time. Wolff has suggested that only Honda, which supplies Aston Martin, really needs the assistance, while Red Bull, Ferrari and the newcomer Audi are roughly on par with Mercedes. In a separate written interview, Mekies quantified Mercedes' advantage over Red Bull as roughly three‑tenths of a second per lap, attributing a large portion of that margin 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 difficult start to the season has also fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen with the team.
Verstappen, who has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the 2026 regulations, hinted in Japan that he might step away from Formula One at the end of the year if the situation does not improve. Mekies, however, remains optimistic that the upcoming upgrades will provide a stronger platform for Verstappen and restore his enthusiasm.
He described the Dutch driver as "fully committed" and eager for a faster car, saying, "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 added that Verstappen has been vocal when he feels changes are needed, and that the team expects the ADUO window after Miami to give them a chance to address the deficiencies that have plagued the first three races. "We are conscious that the priority is to give him a car he can push with," Mekies explained. "We knew we gave him and Isack a very difficult car in the first three races.
We need to give him a car he can consistently push with. It may not be fast enough for immediate podiums, but it will let him unleash his 'Max effect' and allow us to build development onto that car." He concluded with confidence that, even if the upgrades are not fully realised by the Miami event, the team will continue to investigate the root causes of their performance shortfall, much as they did last year, and that Verstappen's smile will become more frequent as progress is made.
The Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1‑3, will host the season's second sprint weekend and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can stream the race via NOW without a contract, canceling at any time.
The upcoming ADUO window, combined with Red Bull's engineering resources, could prove pivotal in reshaping the competitive landscape for the remainder of the 2026 Formula One campaign.