Mekies charts Red Bull’s return amid Verstappen’s growing frustration

The Milton Keynes-based team principal said he expects the team to make a significant step forward during the extended break before the next round in the United States.

Speaking to the media after another underwhelming outing at the Japanese Grand Prix, Mekies outlined how the team’s focus will now shift to analysing performance in detail and testing different approaches to extract pace.

“We are confident that we will use this break to make a significant step forward. We need time to deep-dive into our data, to simulate what we observe in the data in the tunnel and in our simulator, test different sensitivities, and do all of that without racing. Does that mean that when we arrive in Miami, everything will be solved like a miracle? No,” Mekies explained.

“But again, am I confident that the team will reach a thorough understanding and start bringing improvements already in Miami? I think that’s what you will see. Only the track and lap times will indicate whether we are moving in the right direction. I don’t think we should expect a miracle in terms of closing the gap, because the gap is substantial,” he added.

“What we do want to see is a car that allows our drivers to push again, measure the gap to the competition under these conditions, and then let the rest be pure development until the end of the year,” he concluded.

Red Bull Racing has endured a challenging start to the 2026 season, with the team only completing a race with both cars for the first time this year in Suzuka.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen finished eighth, it marked the first time since 2017 that the Dutchman had gone three consecutive races without a top-five finish. His latest disappointment came at Suzuka, where he was eliminated in Q2 before recovering to eighth in the race.

Verstappen has not hidden his frustration with the Red Bull car, delivering a stark assessment of the team’s struggles after being held up by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in Suzuka.

Earlier, Verstappen detailed the stark reality of the struggles of the Red Bull outfit. The Dutch driver explained how the team hit a ceiling behind the Alpine in Suzuka.

Verstappen, however, expressed confidence in the Milton Keynes-based outfit resolving its woes and progressing back to the front of the grid.

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