Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has publicly dismissed the notion that his outfit possesses the most powerful power unit on the grid. He stressed that Red Bull does not currently enjoy the very best internal combustion engine (ICE) and therefore hopes to be eligible for the new development allowances that the FIA will introduce for the 2026 season.
These allowances, known as Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO), are intended to give teams that lag behind the leading manufacturer by at least two percent a chance to close the gap through targeted upgrades. The ADUO framework was embedded in the 2026 power‑unit regulations as a performance‑balancing tool. It defines three distinct windows during the season when eligible teams may introduce new parts or refinements to their engines. The first of these windows was slated to open after the Miami Grand Prix, but the schedule may be shifted because the opening two rounds – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – were cancelled amid the ongoing Middle‑East conflict.
This delay could affect the timing of when Red Bull can actually start working on the upgrades. Mercedes has dominated the first three races of the year, leading the championship by 119 points over Red Bull, which currently sits in sixth place.
Despite this disparity, some media outlets have speculated that Red Bull’s ICE might actually be the strongest on the grid, a claim that would make the team eligible for ADUO support. Mekies rejected that speculation in an interview with Sky Sports News.
"Is it at the level of the very best? Absolutely not," he said.
"Do we expect to be in the group that can be given the possibility to catch up? Yes, we certainly hope to be in that category." Mekies echoed the sentiment expressed by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who described ADUO as a mechanism for "catch‑up" rather than a way for teams to "leapfrog" the leaders. Both men agreed that the tool is meant to level the playing field, not to give a sudden advantage.
Mekies was clear that, in his view, Mercedes still holds the superior ICE, and that the Red Bull camp is looking to narrow the deficit rather than overtake the German squad outright. The FIA’s ADUO schedule outlines three periods when upgrades can be introduced. To qualify, a manufacturer must be measured as at least two percent slower in ICE performance than the top‑performing unit.
Wolff has suggested that only Honda – which supplies Aston Martin – is truly in need of the extra development allowance, while Red Bull, Ferrari and the newcomer Audi are roughly on par with Mercedes. Mekies, however, offered a more nuanced picture in a separate written interview. He estimated that Mercedes enjoys a lap‑time advantage of roughly three‑tenths of a second over Red Bull, a margin he attributes largely to the German team’s engine.
"What we see is certainly Mercedes, a long way ahead of most of us," Mekies explained. "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 season has fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen with the team.
Verstappen has voiced his displeasure with the 2026 regulations and hinted in Japan that he may consider leaving Formula 1 at the end of the year. Mekies, however, remains optimistic that the upcoming upgrades will give Verstappen a car capable of delivering the performance he expects, and that a more competitive package will lift the Dutch driver’s morale.
"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 problem, the team will methodically identify and eliminate the limiting factors, just 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 upcoming Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1‑3, will be the second sprint weekend of the year and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can also stream the race via NOW without a contract, giving them flexible access to the action as the championship continues to evolve under the new regulatory landscape.