Red Bull F1 boss admits Max Verstappen title charge may have hurt 2026 plans

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Formula 1

Red Bull boss admits Max Verstappen title charge may have hurt 2026 plans

Max Verstappen came within two points of the title

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 19 December 2025 19:00

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has admitted that the team's work in fighting for the drivers' championship late in 2025 may cost them next year.

Max Verstappen clawed back over 100 points in the second half of the season to cut the gap to Lando Norris to just two points by the time the season wrapped up in Abu Dhabi, agonizingly close to the championship.

The Dutchman won the final three grands prix of the year and came so close to that record-equalling fifth consecutive world title, but eventually walked away with the runner-up spot.

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Heading into 2026, F1 is set to see wholesale regulation changes which may shake up the competitive order in F1, and the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are all trying to end McLaren's dominance and fight for championships.

But, Mekies has now said that Red Bull's pursuit of the drivers' championship with Verstappen may just have put them on the back foot when it comes to next season, having poured so much into trying to get closer to the McLarens' race pace.

"We tried to understand the car until the very end; we didn't want to stop development, and this might have a cost next year, but for us it was important to always be pushing the car to its limits."

Red Bull under pressure

While Verstappen will have appreciated the team's relentless pursuit of the championship for him last season, the Dutchman is the best driver of his generation, and will want to be in the best car.

His long-term future at Red Bull is regularly called into question, and he is understood to have some exit clauses in his lengthy contract that centre around Red Bull's ability to provide him with a championship-contending car.

If the team do fall back even further in 2026 having finished third in the constructors' championship for the last two seasons, then Verstappen will likely look for a seat elsewhere, with a plethora of drivers up and down the grid set to be out of contract at the end of 2026.

In this sense, Red Bull will be desperately trying to pull out all the stops to ensure that their star driver can mount some kind of a challenge for the title once more next year, otherwise they risk losing his services to another team.

Formula 1