Red Bull endured a difficult outing at the 2026 F1 Japanese GP, with Max Verstappen finishing P8 and Isack Hadjar crossing the line in P12, underlining the team’s ongoing struggles with their car.
Team Principal Laurent Mekies has expressed confidence that the team can make progress during the break following the Suzuka weekend, despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding their performance issues. After a challenging run of races Red Bull leave Suzuka still searching for answers. Both drivers reportedly struggled with inconsistency and a lack of confidence in the car, issues that the team CEO admits are not yet fully understood.
Focus on driveability and long-term development for Red Bull
Speaking after the 2026 F1 Japanese GP in a print media session, Mekies remained optimistic that the time before the Miami Grand Prix will allow the team to better understand and address their difficulties.
“Confident that we will use that break to make a very good step forward. We need the time to deep dive into our data. We need the time to simulate back what we see in the data into the tunnel, into our simulator.”
The Frenchman emphasised the importance of analysis away from the track, with modern Formula 1 teams relying heavily on simulation tools and wind tunnel correlation to diagnose performance issues.
“Try some sensitivities and all of that we can do without racing. Does it mean you come to Miami and you have solved everything as a miracle? No, but again am I confident that the teams will get to the bottom of that understanding and start bringing improvements already in Miami.”
Red Bull’s current struggles come at a time when the competitive order has changed significantly versus 2025, with multiple teams capitalising on early-season momentum. Haas and Alpine sit P4 and P5 in the Constructors’ Championship post-Japan. The Milton Keynes-based squad are 6th.
Mekies: No “miracles” expected for Red Bull after 2026 F1 Japanese GP
Despite his confidence in the team’s processes, Laurent Mekies was realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead. Red Bull is not only fighting internal inconsistencies but also a competitive gap to rivals that may take time to close.
“But only the track and the lap time will give us an indication on whether we go into the right directions. I don’t think we should expect miracles about the amplitude of closing the gap because the gap is substantial.”
This acknowledgment underlines the complexity of the current issues, suggesting that improvements will likely come incrementally rather than through a single breakthrough. A key priority for Red Bull is restoring driver confidence in the RB22 that is proving extremely tough to drive, something Mekies highlighted as essential for properly evaluating performance.
“But certainly what we would like to see is to have a car where our drivers can push again, measure a gap to competition in these conditions when we are able to push and then the rest will be pure development to the end of the year.”
With the Miami Grand Prix marking the next opportunity to assess progress, Laurent Mekies made Red Bull’s immediate goal clear: regain control of their car’s behaviour and establish a solid baseline for development after 2026 F1 Japanese GP.
