Laurent Mekies says the turnaround in F1 2025 is a huge boost for its technical team and it has built confidence in its team and tools for 2026.
They did not get things right to start the F1 2025 season which eventually cost Max Verstappen a chance to retain his drivers’ title. He missed by two points after putting up a strong recovery from Zandvoort, when he was 104 points down on the championship leader.
Red Bull started to get things right on the set-up side and the small developments it brought about in the second half only solidified their position to take the fight to McLaren. The team raised laurels towards Mekies, but the Frenchman passed the baton to the team at Milton Keynes.
He feels the turnaround only helped instill confidence in its tools and the methodologies, which will be useful going forward. “If you look back to the season, I truly think the turnaround was sensational and the girls and the guys back at home should be proud of what has been achieved,” said Mekies to media. “I don’t think it happened very often in the last few years or decades.
“And that’s what we look at. It allows us to go into the winter with a level of confidence into our tools, into our methodologies, into our approaches that is important. Some of that we will be able to carry on to next year’s regulations, some of that will become less relevant. And I don’t think we should now go into making the list of the circumstances and where we could have found these two points.
“No, we will probably do it internally in a way we learn from the mistakes we make. But we don’t need to wait for the end of the championship to do that. We anyway always do it. But the two points could be everywhere. What is important is that we as a group, we turn around things in the way that has been done.
“And once again, all the credit should go to our people in Milton Keynes for having believed in this year’s project and having been proven right, I guess,” summed up Mekies, who also had good words for the technical team as well. He feels it is a boost for them too considering the loss of Adrian Newey this year. They have new people in place, with Pierre Wache in charge.
It is relatively new and have not proved its credentials with title victories, even though they have race wins against its names now. “Well, for sure, it’s a huge boost for the technical department to see the level of the car performance at the end of such a season,” continued Mekies. “And yes, it gives confidence against the people.
“First of all, we already have the confidence in our people because we feel we have the best talent. But it gives confidence into the methodologies, into the tools, into the KPIs that you are using. And yeah, so we think that’s the most important aspect, yes,” summed up Mekies.
Here’s Laurent Mekies on Isack Hadjar
Here’s Max Verstappen on no regrets
Here’s Liam Lawson on Red Bull time
