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 sit at the pinnacle of engine performance and therefore hopes to be eligible for the additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) that the new 2026 regulations will provide for teams that fall behind the leading manufacturer by at least two percent. The 2026 rulebook introduces a performance‑balancing clause known as ADUO.
This mechanism is designed to give the manufacturers whose internal combustion engines (ICE) lag by two percent or more a chance to develop and upgrade their units during three predefined windows throughout the season. The first of these windows was slated to open after the Miami Grand Prix, but the schedule may shift 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 trio of races, sitting atop the championship standings with a 119‑point cushion over Red Bull, which currently occupies sixth place.
Despite this points gap, a number of media outlets have speculated that Red Bull’s ICE might actually be the strongest on the grid, a claim that would make the team ineligible for ADUO assistance. Mekies addressed those rumours in an interview with Sky Sports News, stating unequivocally: “Is it at the level of the very best? Absolutely not.
So do we expect to be in that group that can 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 "catch up" rather than to "leapfrog" rivals.
He made it clear that, in his view, the Silver Arrows still hold the edge when it comes to pure ICE performance. "I think Toto is right," Mekies said. "The tool is here to catch up, not to leapfrog anyone. So I'm completely with him on that one." The ADUO framework outlines three distinct upgrade periods during the season.
Any manufacturer whose ICE falls at least two percent behind the benchmark will be granted extra development time and parts, allowing them to close the gap without creating an unfair advantage. Wolff suggested that Honda, which supplies Aston Martin’s power unit, is the only constructor that truly needs the extra help, while he placed Red Bull, Ferrari and Audi in roughly the same performance bracket as Mercedes.
In a separate written interview, Mekies estimated that Mercedes enjoys roughly a three‑tenths‑of‑a‑second per lap advantage over Red Bull, a margin he attributes largely 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] 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 shaky start to the season has fueled speculation about the future of four‑time world champion Max Verstappen at the team. Verstappen, who has voiced his displeasure with the 2026 regulations, hinted in Japan that he might consider stepping away from Formula 1 after the current year. Mekies, however, remains optimistic that the upcoming upgrades will give Verstappen a car capable of showcasing his talent and restoring 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 added that the priority for Red Bull is to provide Verstappen with a vehicle he can consistently push to its limits, regardless of the regulatory landscape. "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 upgrade package does not solve every issue, the team will identify and eliminate the performance bottlenecks that hampered them early in the season, 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 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 long‑term contract, cancelling at any time.