Yesterday at 07:25
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies does not expect to be
"winning" next F1 season, claiming the Milton Keynes-based squad is
not "delusional" about the size of the task ahead of it. The
six-time constructors' champions will, like F1, embark on a new era
in 2026. Whilst the championship is overhauling its chassis and
engine regulations, Red Bull is becoming a full works team for the
first time, manufacturing its own power unit for its main outfit
and sister operation Racing Bulls through Red Bull Powertrains
(RBPT) and a technical partnership with Ford. Mercedes boss Toto
Wolff recently described it as a "Mount Everest to climb" for the
energy drinks-backed team, an assertion Mekies does not disagree
with. The Austrian is well-placed to make such a judgement, with
Mercedes having aced the last power unit rules change in F1, in
2014. Nonetheless, Mekies insists Red Bull knows how to tackle the
monumental task facing it, stating the team has all it needs in
place to eventually succeed. "It is indeed an Everest, but we are
facing it the Red Bull way," he told Autosprint . "Our company
knows how to climb them. "We have everything we need to cover the
path as quickly as possible, though we are not delusional: we don't
expect to be winning already in 2026" Mekies believes only Red Bull
could undergo the transformation into an original equipment
manufacturer (OEM), which comes at the same point Alpine is
relinquishing its works team status to become a Mercedes customer.
The 48-year-old is, however, adamant that there is no timeframe for
the team to have achieved further success in F1 by. "Only Red Bull
in modern times has managed to build a team from scratch and win
world titles, and only Red Bull could build a power unit
independently," the Frenchman added. "I mean, there is no deadline,
but we are capable of anything."
