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 current Formula 1 grid. He emphasized that Red Bull does not consider its internal combustion engine (ICE) to be the benchmark of performance, and therefore the team is looking forward to the upcoming opportunity to develop its unit under the new Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) framework that will be introduced for the 2026 season. The 2026 technical regulations include a balancing clause known as ADUO, which is designed to give manufacturers that fall more than two percent behind the leading power‑unit supplier a chance to catch up through targeted upgrades.
The first of these upgrade windows was initially set 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 Middle‑East conflict, potentially shifting the timing of the development period. Although Mercedes has dominated the first three rounds, sitting comfortably at the top of the championship with a 119‑point lead over Red Bull, there has been media speculation that Red Bull’s engine might actually be the strongest in the field. That speculation is precisely what Mekies addressed in his interview with Sky Sports News.
"Is our engine at the level of the very best? Absolutely not," he said.
"Do we hope to be among the teams that are granted the chance to close the gap? Yes, we certainly do." Mekies echoed the sentiment expressed by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who argued that ADUO should be a tool for teams to narrow the performance gap rather than to leapfrog the competition. Mekies was clear that, in his view, Mercedes still holds the advantage when it comes to pure ICE performance. "I think Toto is right," Mekies added.
"The tool is here to catch up, not to leapfrog anyone. So I’m completely with him on that one." The ADUO regulation outlines three distinct periods during the season when eligible manufacturers can receive extra development allowances. To qualify, a team must be measured as at least two percent slower in ICE output than the leading supplier, a metric that will be closely monitored by the FIA.
Wolff has suggested that Honda, which supplies Aston Martin’s power unit, is the only constructor that truly needs the extra help, while Red Bull, Ferrari and Audi are roughly on a similar performance level to Mercedes. In a separate written interview, Mekies quantified Mercedes’ edge over Red Bull as roughly three‑tenths of a second per lap, attributing a large portion of that advantage 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 sluggish start to the year has also fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen at the team. Verstappen has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the 2026 rule package and hinted that he may consider stepping away from Formula 1 after the season concludes. Despite these concerns, Mekies remains optimistic that forthcoming upgrades will give Verstappen a more competitive car and rekindle 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. 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 to 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 upgrades are not ready for the Miami event, the team will soon identify and resolve the underlying limitations that hampered their early‑season performance, much as they did in the previous year. "I have every confidence that things may not be fixed for Miami, but 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 you will see more and more smile on Max’s face," he concluded.
The Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1‑3, will mark the second Sprint weekend of the season and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available through NOW without a long‑term contract. The race will also serve as the first real test of how the ADUO upgrades impact the competitive order, especially for teams like Red Bull that are eager to close the gap to Mercedes and re‑establish themselves as front‑runners in the new regulatory era.