Red Bull chief expecting F1 misery at Australian Grand Prix

Red Bull

Red Bull chief expecting F1 misery at Australian Grand Prix

Red Bull may not be challenging for titles in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 17 January 2026 16:54

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies has said that his team are 'not naive', and know the challenges that they face in 2026.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit are starting a new era of power unit production in 2026, becoming a works team in partnership with Ford.

It means that they are becoming a power unit manufacturer for the first time, joining the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and newcomers Audi.

Article continues under video

Now, Mekies has said that he expects there to be 'struggles' in the first few months of the season, as the team try to balance getting their power unit spot on with the implementation of new car design regulations too.

2026 sees a major reset of the regulations in F1, and teams are working hard to try and be the ones to master the rules reset and get ahead of their rivals.

But Mekies has warned that it might be tough going for Red Bull. Speaking at the Red Bull season launch show in Detroit, Mekies said: "After everything we’ve said on the size of the challenge, of starting from scratch and building everything up, I think going into the first year and going to the first race and thinking to be straight away at the level of the competition - who have been doing it for years - would be naive.

"We are not naive. We know it’s going to be a fair amount of struggles, a fair amount of headaches and sleepless nights, but that’s exactly what we are here for. We have the confidence of having put together an amazing group of people, an amazing group of partners, and we will go through the struggles.

"We will eventually come out on top. Bear with us in the first few months, and I think these initial difficulties will be a good reminder of how much we went through to eventually get on top."

Can Red Bull challenge for the 2026 championship?

Based off Mekies' quotes, it seems as though a Red Bull championship tilt in 2026 is going to be a stretch. But, they have Max Verstappen.

Red Bull started slowly compared to McLaren in 2025, but Verstappen still chipped away at the podium positions and race victories, eventually finishing within just two points of champion Lando Norris in the end.

If indeed there is pain for Red Bull in the early weeks, Verstappen will just need to keep maximising the results, knowing that opportunities could present themselves to him later in the season.

As it stands, it's Mercedes who are rumoured to be best placed to master the new regulations, although Red Bull powertrains director Ben Hodgkinson recently alleged that those rumours were spread by Mercedes themselves.

Time will tell as to which teams are going to be in the title fight, but if Red Bull do struggle, then don't be surprised if rumours of a Verstappen team switch for 2027 start to circle the paddock.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Laurent Mekies