Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has publicly dismissed the notion that his squad possesses the most powerful power unit in the Formula One grid. He emphasized that Red Bull does not currently sit at the very top of the engine performance hierarchy and therefore hopes the new Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) provision will give his team a chance to close the gap.
The ADUO mechanism is a novel element introduced in the 2026 technical regulations. Its purpose is to act as a performance‑balancing tool: any manufacturer whose internal combustion engine (ICE) lags the benchmark by at least two percent becomes eligible for extra development time and parts during designated upgrade windows. The idea is to prevent a single power‑unit maker from dominating the sport for the entire season and to keep the competition lively.
The first of these windows was originally slated to open after the Miami Grand Prix, but the schedule has been disrupted. Two of the opening six races—Bahrain and Saudi Arabia—were cancelled because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which could push the upgrade period further into the calendar. Mercedes has been the clear front‑runner in the opening trio of races, sitting atop the Constructors' standings with a 119‑point advantage over Red Bull, who find themselves in sixth place. Despite this points disparity, some media outlets have speculated that Red Bull’s ICE might actually be the strongest on the grid, a claim that would qualify the team for ADUO assistance.
Mekies rejected that speculation in an interview with Sky Sports News. "Is it [Red Bull's engine] at the level of the very best? Absolutely not," he said. "Hence, 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 recent comments that ADUO should be used to allow lagging manufacturers to "catch up" rather than to give them a chance to "leapfrog" the leaders. He was unequivocal that, in his view, the Silver Arrows still hold the advantage when it comes to pure ICE performance. The regulations outline three separate ADUO periods throughout the season.
During each period, the FIA will assess which power units fall more than two percent behind the best‑performing ICE and will allocate additional development tokens to those teams. Wolff has suggested that Honda, which supplies Aston Martin’s engines, is the only manufacturer that truly needs this aid, while he placed Red Bull, Ferrari and Audi in a similar performance bracket to Mercedes.
In a written interview, Mekies offered a more detailed estimate of the performance gap. He said Mercedes is roughly three‑tenths of a second per lap faster than Red Bull, attributing a large share of that advantage to the German team’s superior ICE. "What we see is certainly Mercedes, a long way ahead of most of us," he noted, adding that Honda appears to be the most challenged, while Ferrari and Audi are "quite close" to Red Bull’s output. Mekies also highlighted the difficulty of extracting the maximum combustion‑engine performance in a way that is fair across all teams, given the varying resources and technical philosophies.
He believes the current results provide the most accurate picture of where each manufacturer stands relative to the others. Red Bull’s sluggish start to the season has fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen with the team.
Verstappen has voiced dissatisfaction with the upcoming 2026 regulations and hinted in Japan that he might consider leaving Formula 1 at the end of the year. However, Mekies remains optimistic that the forthcoming upgrades will give Verstappen a more competitive car and restore his enthusiasm.
"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," Mekies said. He praised Verstappen’s passion and his willingness to speak up when he feels changes are needed.
"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." Mekies stressed that the priority is to deliver a chassis and power unit combination that allows Verstappen to push at the limit. He acknowledged that the first three races have been particularly challenging for both Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar, but he believes that once the car’s fundamental issues are resolved, Verstappen’s influence—often referred to as the "Max effect"—will accelerate development.
"We are conscious that the priority is that we give him a car he can push with," Mekies explained. "It may not be the fastest car immediately, but it will enable him to extract maximum performance and help us build the car forward." Looking ahead, Mekies expressed confidence that the team will identify and eliminate the factors limiting performance, much as they did in the previous season.
He expects to see Verstappen smile more often as the car improves. "I have every confidence that things may not be fixed for Miami, but the team will get to the bottom of what is limiting us, and you will see more and more smiles on Max's face," he concluded.
The Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1‑3, will be the second Sprint weekend of the season and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can stream the race via NOW without a contract, offering flexibility for those who wish to follow the unfolding drama of the 2026 Formula One campaign.