Red Bull breakthrough surprises even Mekies

Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies admits even the team did not expect Max Verstappen’s dramatic return to winning form, as he credited the late Dietrich Mateschitz for making the team’s historic engine breakthrough possible.

Verstappen’s dominant Bahrain GP victory at Sepang was Red Bull’s first with its own power unit, developed in partnership with Ford.

Mekies told a small group of reporters, including De Telegraaf and De Limburger, that the turnaround has been remarkable given Red Bull’s early-season struggles.

"At the start of the season, we were a second behind," said the Frenchman.

"At one point we got within three tenths, but thought making up those last three tenths would be the hardest part."

However, Mekies insisted there was no single breakthrough behind the resurgence, despite a substantial upgrade introduced at Baku.

"It’s not as if we knew a magic upgrade was coming," he said.

He also revealed that Red Bull had not promised Verstappen an imminent performance breakthrough during discussions about his future earlier this year.

"No, we didn’t tell Max that during the contract negotiations earlier this year either," said Mekies. "But we did show him what we are working on, both on the chassis and the engine side, and where the opportunities lay in the short and long term."

Mekies said the first victory had fulfilled one of Red Bull’s major objectives for 2026.

"We have been very clear - a victory was at the top of our wish list. We have now achieved that."

But the team will not simply protect its position over the remaining races.

"The second item on the list will be very important in the coming weeks," said Mekies. "Namely, learning as much as possible from this car, experimenting, and being willing to take risks to maximise learning."

Mekies admitted Sepang’s performance had surprised Red Bull, which previously expected the slower corners of Singapore to suit the RB22 better.

"Is it enough to fight for the win at every circuit now? Impossible to say," he said.

The Frenchman reserved particular praise for Mateschitz, who approved Red Bull’s ambitious engine program in 2021.

"We should be grateful to Dietrich Mateschitz for saying ’yes’ five years ago to a project that everyone else in the world would have said ’no’ to," he said.

"Everyone at the factory in Milton Keynes can be very proud of this first victory with a homegrown engine and what has been achieved in such a short time."

"It is confirmation that we are all heading in the right direction."