Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Team principal Laurent Mekies says Red Bull has begun simulation and wind-tunnel work to speed up the RB22 for the rest of 2026 and will judge progress after the Miami race. He stressed the team is not discussing Max Verstappen’s future despite the driver’s public anger and talk of quitting.
Red Bull’s form has dropped under the new 2026 rules. The team sits sixth in the Constructors’ standings. Verstappen is ninth in the Drivers’ standings. He has finished outside the top five in three straight races. Suzuka underlined the slide with a Q2 exit and eighth place.
Verstappen has been vocal about the new power unit and energy management rules. He has called the car undriveable and has described the era as anti-racing. He has also said in public that he could leave the sport. He remains under contract to 2028.
Mekies said retirement talk is not a topic inside the team. He put it at about 1 percent of garage conversations. He said 99 percent of discussions focus on the RB22 itself. The group is working to find the car’s limits, understand the data, and pull more performance from the current package.
The team has identified clear shortfalls tied to the new engine and battery rules and to aero balance. On some runs the RB22 has been about a second slower than Mercedes. It has been roughly half a second down on Ferrari. Red Bull has tried new sidepods, a revised floor, and an updated engine cover. The gains have been limited so far.
Mekies outlined a tight plan to use the five-week gap before Miami. Engineers will dig into race and dyno data, correlate the numbers in simulation, and target areas that return the most lap time. The goal is to produce measurable steps rather than chase big swings that do not map from the tunnel to the track. The team expects small, steady gains, not a sudden jump.
The focus areas reflect the new rule set. Energy deployment and recovery windows shape how drivers can attack. Aero balance at low and high speeds affects tire load and straight-line trade-offs. Red Bull is trying to calm the platform so Verstappen can lean on the front and still get the power unit to deliver cleanly at corner exit. The work spans software maps, battery use, and how the floor and bodywork manage airflow at varying yaw.
Mekies said Red Bull will use Miami as a checkpoint for this push. The team wants to see whether the stopwatch shows a move toward Mercedes and Ferrari. That will guide the next wave of updates. He did not set a public target beyond the need to improve the car and reduce the gap.
Verstappen’s anger has framed the story, but Red Bull says the response is technical. The job list is set by the data, not the noise around it. The team accepts that the first parts brought to the track did not shift the order. It is now steering resources at the issues the tools confirm. If the numbers hold up in Miami, Red Bull will keep the same path for the rounds that follow.
For now the message from the garage is steady. Development is active in the tunnel and in simulation. Updates are coming on a short cycle. The outcome will be measured on track once Formula 1 reaches Miami.