Not only are Red Bull preparing themselves for a title challenge in 2026, but they might also be forcing themselves back in the picture for 2025, too.
After winning each of the last two races, Max Verstappen seems to have an outside shot at winning the drivers’ championship once more. The arrival of new team principal Laurent Mekies has helped to spark their season, as has a floor upgrade.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri still holds a 69-point advantage over the reigning champion, but Red Bull will be encouraged by their rivals’ form at the last few races. They haven’t looked second quickest, and even Mercedes seem faster.
Verstappen ‘doesn’t care’ about chasing down McLaren and is realistic about his aims, safe in the knowledge that just a few weeks ago, he had no chance. ‘A lot of people’ are now commenting on Lando Norris’ chances, and now believe that Verstappen beating him is more likely than him beating Piastri.
Laurent Mekies could make Red Bull conflict change that directly affects Mercedes and Toto Wolff
The ‘jealous’ Christian Horner always wanted what Toto Wolff had when the two were infamous rivals just a few years ago. Their debates were fierce at times, and even had fans on the edge of their seats.
The approach that Mekies, who comes from an engineering background, is likely to be a little more subdued and calm. Even though Mekies and Helmut Marko already disagree, the dynamic between Red Bull and its competitors could change.
But focusing more on the racing than any drama away from the track, they might have found another advantage that they didn’t have before. Back in 2021, Horner would often argue with Wolff, and one time, as captured by Netflix’s Drive to Survive cameras, things threatened to boil over during a discussion about porpoising.
“I can tell you that all of you are playing a dangerous game,” said Wolff. “If a car ends in the wall because it’s too stiff or it’s bottoming out, you are in the s— and I’m going to come after you. I don’t care. If you think this is a little game and performance, I tell you, you are very, very wrong.”
Horner fired back at the Austrian, pointing out that he felt that it was an issue more with his own machinery than a general point.
“Well, change your car. You’ve got a problem. Change your f—— car,” he said.
How Laurent Mekies could change a Red Bull ‘trend’ in 2026
ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson has reiterated that Mekies’ approach may be different to Horner’s too, and that publicly, he won’t try to target his rivals as much.
The ‘trend’ of engineers in team principal positions means that everything is a lot calmer, but it might actually be a good thing for Formula 1.
“I think it is better when you have those big characters running the teams, but there has been a real trend towards engineers stepping up into these team principal roles,” he said.
“Not to say all engineers are boring, but they do look at problems in a different way, and they’re not as adversarial in the way they go about doing their business.
“Guys like Laurent Mekies, he’s not going to go out and put quotes in the media just to try and upset Toto, just to try and get something back around from Toto.”