As the fourth-fastest team on the grid, Laurent Mekies and Red Bull arrived at their home race, the 2026 F1 Austrian GP, with an extensive upgrade package. However, Red Bull’s critical FP1 testing phase was heavily compromised.
Isack Hadjar suffered an early engine problem requiring a rapid change, while Max Verstappen was hit with garage-exit issues, severely limiting the team’s ability to evaluate their new package on track.
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies spoke about these struggles and the confusion over the FIA’s early engine data.
Technical disruptions in FP1
Red Bull’s time on the track at Spielberg during Friday’s FP1 was extremely limited for both of its drivers. Due to technical disruptions across both sides of the garage, the Milton Keynes team couldn’t test whether their upgrade package actually improved the car.
Hadjar was sidelined by a pre-session engine gremlin. The Frenchman’s power unit was swapped immediately by the mechanics. Nevertheless, he only got to complete two fast laps at the end of the session, which didn’t provide the critical data the team needed. Simultaneously, Verstappen lost a valuable amount of track time.
Though this is not an ideal scenario for the Red Bull team, Mekies acknowledged that all of these issues are “part of the game” and that they still have the remaining free practice sessions to analyse the upgrade package.
“It was not the ideal start, I’m not going to lie.
“We had an engine issue before the session started with Isack, so we had a late engine change. The guys have been fantastic and managed to turn that around and to give him the last part of the session, but he actually completed two fast laps, so we are not going to conclude much on that, but it’s part of the game.
“And also on Max, as you have seen, we’ve been struggling to get the car out of the garage this morning, so limited running.
“So, as we speak, everyone is diving into the data, but certainly early days for us to conclude. But we take it step by step. We have FP2, we have FP3 to understand what is working, what is not working, and get to the best configuration for the quali.”
The magnitude of the upgrade package
The upgrade package that Red Bull brought to the 2026 F1 Austrian GP represents one of the most substantial technical overhauls of the season. The package features a revised forward floor, reprofiled sidepod inlets, a reworked engine cover, altered cooling louvres, new rear wing pylons, and a redesigned exhaust outlet layout.
Mekies compared the scale of the Austrian package to the upgrade package introduced in Miami. The Milton Keynes team aims to resolve balance issues, excess weight, and poor curb-riding characteristics.
“I’m not going to lie, it is a large package. You can’t do that every race. The last time we’ve done something of that magnitude was probably in Miami.
“Then, in terms of lap time gain expectations, we tend to only look at what the racetrack does, because that’s the only thing that matters.
“Probably after a couple of more sessions we’ll be able to assess how much we feel we have gained.”
Aiming to close the performance deficit
Red Bull entered the 2026 F1 season facing a performance gap compared to the leading teams. Mekies stated that the team successfully halved this deficit with their Miami updates. Now, their focus is heavily on the upgrade package that they brought to the 2026 F1 Austrian GP.
“It’s probably fair to say that it will depend a lot on how this package works. We started with a large gap compared to competition, probably more than a second at the season start. If you look at the big picture, some of that is understandable. I think if you consider how late we pushed last year, and if you consider the new adventure of the PU, we probably halved that gap with the Miami update and hopefully we get much closer with this one as well.
“I think you will probably see quite a few teams slowing down in that rate of development in the second part of the year. So, let’s see where we land when the shutdowns come in, and we will know whether we have a fight or whether it will need another push.”
Mekies’ response to preliminary FIA ADUO engine benchmarking
The FIA released preliminary information regarding the ADUO system regulations. This information unexpectedly labeled Red Bull’s internal combustion engine as the benchmark performer on the grid.
Mekies revealed that Red Bull was also surprised by the initial findings. They are currently engaging in data exchanges with the governing body to ensure an accurate final assessment, given the massive competitive stakes attached to the ruling.
“Look, at first, yes, we have received preliminary information from the FIA, and yes, we were – and we are – very surprised about this preliminary information.
“We have been having very constructive discussions with the FIA ever since. They are doing a review, we are exchanging as many data as possible to make sure they get the right picture and the full picture, because, as you said, not only do we feel differently about this outcome, but also it has large implications for this year and for next year.
“So, it’s important, first and foremost for the sport, that we get that right, and obviously for Red Bull Racing, the impact of being on one side of the fence or on the other side of the fence will be large.”
Current car upgrading plan won’t be changed for now
Although the FIA’s early data was a surprise to the Milton Keynes squad, Red Bull is not considering changing its current car upgrade plan.
Instead, the team is putting all its energy into understanding the details of the information the FIA has given. Mekies explained that delaying the car’s development by a few weeks is much better than getting stuck with a wrong decision that would hurt their long-term engine performance all the way into the 2027 season.
“So, we didn’t expect that early result from the FIA, you’re right. At the moment, we are not changing any strategy, because these results are not a conclusion as it stands. So, we are spending our energy to engage with the FIA to make sure they reach the right conclusion. So, we have not changed any of our development strategy yet, but we try to get to the right answer. We try to take the time needed to get to the right answer. If it means our development needs to be moved by a few weeks, it is still a much lower consequence on the overall performance compared to getting the wrong answer and having heavy consequences both in ’26 and in ’27.”
Threat of an ADUO engine freeze
Right now, there might be a huge risk for Red Bull regarding how these ADUO rules work.
If the FIA locks in Red Bull’s engine as the top benchmark, rival teams like Ferrari and Audi could use their upgrade tokens to fix everything else on their power units. In the meantime, the Milton Keynes squad would be legally stuck and unable to upgrade or fire back.
Therefore, Mekies points out that getting an accurate final decision from the FIA is highly critical for the team.
“There is a large risk there for Red Bull, so you are completely right in exposing that risk. It is one of the reasons why it is vital for Red Bull, and more generally for the sport, that we get that picture right. And again, we are thankful to the FIA for the fact that they are taking the time to release their conclusion. And yes, you always would like to reach an earlier conclusion, but it’s more important that we reach the right one, even if it takes a bit more time.”
Steady growth is what Verstappen needs to stay with Red Bull
In terms of giving Verstappen the confidence to stay with Red Bull next year, Mekies acknowledges that the upgrade packages, continuous growth, and racetrack lap times are critical.
“I’m convinced that Max wants to see continuous progress. And again, he knows very well that you don’t go from one second to zero in no time, but he wants to see that path, I’m sure, to continue to improve. And I think it’s only about, to your question, overall lap time. So if we can close that gap to only a couple of tenths, it will mean that we still keep halving the gap to competition and hopefully be in striking range soon.“
Success benchmark is cutting the deficit in half again in the 2026 F1 Austrian GP
Red Bull’s main goal for the 2026 F1 Austrian GP is to make steady progress through Spielberg’s medium and high-speed corners.
Though the team started their season a full second behind frontrunner Mercedes, they halved that gap to half a second with the Miami upgrades.
Mekies considers leaving the 2026 F1 Austrian GP with a deficit of just two to three tenths a major step forward. The team currently looks forward to a much smoother run in FP2 with sufficient track time to test, gather, and analyse data from the upgrades.
“Measure of success: we said we went from one second to 0.5 seconds with the previous package. If we keep halving it, I think it will be a good indication. So if we are anywhere between two tenths, three tenths at most, on a track with many high-speed corners, medium-speed corners, I think it will show that we keep progressing.
“Knew we could not go from 0.5 seconds to zero in one package. I think nobody is able to do that. But if we can keep halving the gap, hopefully we get into striking range.
“And then the second part of your question was, yes, the issues this morning. I don’t know why we are here, the guys are actually trying to solve them. But no, seriously, I think it should be behind us. Fundamentally cars finished FP1 in the right shape and being able to accumulate laps. So I am confident we’ll be able to have a more straightforward FP2.“
