F1 Today | F1 2026 rules tweak and why Mekies left Ferrari to join Red Bull

The 2026 Formula 1 season will see a raft of changes to the cars with new engines and active aero.

In F1, the engines will no longer have an MGU-H, and a 50-50 split between petrol and electric power is being introduced.

DRS will also leave the sport after making its debut in 2011 in a bid to aid overtaking.

In its place, active aero is being brought in, where both the front and rear wings are movable.

However, the teams are fearful that the skids will wear down if they run a higher-downforce setup throughout a wet race. The FIA's solution is to allow the teams to enable active aero partially.

Laurent Mekies has helped bring a different atmosphere to the Red Bull team since he replaced Christian Horner in July.

The Frenchman oversaw Max Verstappen's charge towards the world championship, although the Dutchman fell short by two points.

Mekies stepped up from Racing Bulls into the Austrian outfit and has already made the tough decision to replace Yuki Tsunoda with Isack Hadjar.

The Red Bull team boss explained he enjoyed his time at Ferrari, but becoming a team principal was an unmissable opportunity.

“Ferrari was a fantastic experience; I learned an enormous amount with Mattia and with the team — lessons I still carry with me,” Mekies told Corriere dello Sport.