Team principal Laurent Mekies shared his thoughts on the RB22’s on-track debut in 2026 with their own power unit, Red Bull’s running until now, Isack Hadjar’s crash, how well the youngster is acclimatising, and their programme for the rest of the shakedown as the second day of the private event in Barcelona came to a close.
The Milton Keynes-based squad were among those to hit the track on the first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as Hadjar got behind the wheel of the RB22.
Red Bull went on to rack up further mileage during mixed conditions on Tuesday, this time sharing driving duties between Max Verstappen in the morning and Hadjar later on.
Apart from a singular moment that saw the Dutchman go off the track at Turn 5 and bring out the red flag briefly, the senior Red Bull driver comfortably completed 27 laps in his first session.
Hadjar took over from Verstappen in the afternoon and spun late on, bringing the running to a premature conclusion for Red Bull. The F1 sophomore hit the barriers at Turn 14, the fast right-hander which leads onto the main straight, and triggered a red flag.
Over the course of the first two days of the behind-closed-doors shakedown, Red Bull have reportedly completed 177 laps.
Mekies on RB22’s on-track debut in 2026 at the shakedown in Barcelona
Following day two of the 2026 Barcelona shakedown, Laurent Mekies spoke to F1 TV and admitted that it was a “very special moment” for the team to see the new challenger head out onto the circuit with their homegrown power unit for the first time.
Acknowledging the challenges they had faced during production, the Red Bull team principal also added that he was proud of the squad for the effort they had put into the project and getting it ready in time.
“We knew it would be a very special moment to be here for the first time with the RB22 with our own power unit, so it came with that special atmosphere and tensions.
“The last few months and weeks have been incredibly hectic to be ready, but ultimately we were ready on Monday morning to run.
“I can only take the opportunity to say a big thank you and well done to everybody back in Milton Keynes, chassis-side, power unit-side, because it was incredible to see the car going out at a few minutes past nine on Monday morning with our own power unit.”
What Red Bull have been up to on the first two days of the shakedown
Laurent Mekies also reflected on the team’s programme thus far at the Barcelona shakedown and stated how they seek to gradually gain an in-depth understanding of their 2026 F1 car under the brand new technical regulations.
Furthermore, the Frenchman elaborated on the difficulties they encountered on the second day of the private test, as tricky weather conditions compromised the dry running. Nonetheless, he conceded that Red Bull had collected some rather useful data when it came to the RB22 and its behaviour on a wet track.
Mekies also addressed Hadjar’s late crash and confirmed that the 21-year-old didn’t sustain any injuries. While he didn’t reveal the extent of the damages, the 48-year-old maintained that Red Bull are concentrating their efforts on repairing the car for their third day of running.
“We knew we have to do our homework and we have to do it step-by-step. Nonetheless, we got quite a few laps yesterday with Isack [Hadjar], which was a positive day, starting to learn the power unit, starting to learn the car.
“Today the weather was a bit more difficult, and Max [Verstappen] drove in the morning. We only got one run of dry running before the rain came. It’s part of the game, we felt anyway that it was interesting to run in the rain also with these regulations.
“Obviously everything is new, and we knew we would have a lot of work to do. That’s what we’ve done, and then switching to Isack in the afternoon, again no chance for dry tyres but some good learning on the wet and in the right way. But what is important is that Isack is okay, and we will try our best to repair the car and to see what’s coming next.”
Mekies on Hadjar’s crash and whether he is acclimatising to his new team
Asked to shed more light on Hadjar’s first crash of 2026 on the second day of F1’s secretive shakedown in Barcelona, Laurent Mekies responded that the tricky track conditions had prompted his session-ending spin into the barriers.
“Look, it was a very tricky condition this afternoon, so very unfortunate that it finished that way, but it’s part of the game. Again, very tricky, a lot of work to do on many aspects and these sort of things can happen.”
In terms of how well Hadjar has settled into the team and what his contributions have been during the debriefs, Mekies commended the one-time podium finisher for successfully completing their programme on Monday and the valuable feedback he has provided to the engineers. Moreover, he highlighted the positive intra-team dynamic as Red Bull enter 2026 with a fresh driver line-up.
“You know, these difficulties today came after a very, very positive day yesterday in terms of the number of laps Isack could complete in the car and in terms of his learning and development and feedback to the engineers.
“So early days, but great energy in the team, great spirits between Max and Isack and the whole team.
“We just can’t wait to have the next possibility to run but, as I said, it’s something we are trying to analyse now and hopefully we get some answers later on.”
Mekies’s thoughts on the new homegrown power unit
With regard to what the key takeaways are after taking to the track in 2026 with the all-new Red Bull Ford power unit, Laurent Mekies went on to further praise the team at their headquarters for ensuring that the new engine was ready in time for the private F1 shakedown in Barcelona.
Acknowledging that they have a long and uncertain journey ahead of them, the Frenchman was nevertheless content with their power unit’s reliability until now and how they managed to hit the ground running without any major issues.
“I have to say, in terms of what we were expecting from the power unit on these first couple of days, I can only repeat how proud we are from everybody back at base to have managed to give us something that we can actually run with.
“Of course it’s very early days and of course nothing is perfect, but we could run, we could start to learn, work as one team, so that was a huge satisfaction. It doesn’t change the size of the journey in front of us, but certainly it’s a first moment that everybody in MK should be proud of.”
Mekies on Red Bull’s checklist for the rest of the 2026 Barcelona shakedown
With F1 permitting teams to run on only three days across the five available to them at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Red Bull have now completed two of those days.
Asked what the Milton Keynes outfit’s checklist holds for the remainder of the shakedown week, a candid Laurent Mekies commented on the considerable length of their overall programme and added that the six-time constructors’ champions intend to let their priorities guide them as they cautiously assess and determine their course of action for their final day of running in Barcelona.
“The checklist is too long to be completed in just a few days in Barcelona, so it’s always going to be a matter of priority and trying to be flexible and adapt your programme as difficulties come out, or in terms of when you find an interesting direction that you should pursue.
“The priority right now as we speak tonight is to assess the damage on the car and to see what it gives to us in terms of opportunities to run in the next day. We only have one day left, so we have to make sure we play that card carefully and it’s an analysis that will take still a few hours.”
