Laurent Mekies ‘completely’ agrees with Toto Wolff’s ADUO verdict despite Red Bull’s 2026 struggles

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Laurent Mekies has completely agreed with Toto Wolff’s verdict on how the FIA should implement ADUO despite Red Bull being a long way off their world championship-leading rivals.

In the midst of F1’s five-week break between the Japanese and Miami rounds of the 2026 calendar, Toto Wolff asserted that the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) initiative should not alter the current pecking order of the grid.

The Mercedes team principal told the media, via Sky Sports, “The principle of the ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot in terms of the power unit to catch up, but not to leapfrog.

“It needs to be very clear that whatever decisions are being made, whichever team is granted ADUO, that any such decision may have a big impact on the performance picture and on the championship, if not done with absolute precision and clarity and transparency.”

Now, Wolff has found an unlikely ally in rival team boss Laurent Mekies, who has wholeheartedly agreed with the Austrian’s sentiments regarding the FIA’s use of ADUO.

• READ MORE: Guenther Steiner warns Red Bull that Laurent Mekies will need years to fix the team

Laurent Mekies says Toto Wolff is ‘right’ about how the FIA should implement ADUO

During an interview with Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, the Red Bull Racing team principal was asked for his thoughts on Wolff’s comments.

Without hesitation, the Frenchman replied, “I think Toto is right. The tool is there to catch up, and not to leapfrog anyone. So, I’m completely with him on that one. I said how much of a phenomenal effort everyone has made in order to get the engine to the level it is now.

“Is it at the level of the very best? Absolutely not. Hence, do we expect to be in that group of people able to be given the possibility to catch up? Yes, we certainly hope to be in that category. Should that allow us to leapfrog anyone? No, absolutely not.”

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Interestingly, data from the first three rounds of the season suggests that Red Bull may not be in line to receive any development tokens from the FIA due to the impressive performance of their 2026 power unit.

Instead, the root of the RB22’s issues seems to stem from its chassis, which has been reported to be over 10kg overweight and in dire need of a makeover.

It’s unlikely that Red Bull will be able to fix the issue until the summer break, which spells even more trouble for the Austrian constructor’s hopes of retaining star driver Max Verstappen in the future.

• READ MORE: Laurent Mekies has ‘categorically banned’ the word ‘surrender’ at Red Bull despite 2026 woes

Laurent Mekies has shared his excitement for Red Bull’s new wind tunnel

Part of the issue that may have led to Red Bull’s lack of progress on the chassis side of things during the winter break is the outdated technology that they are using at the F1 team’s Milton Keynes base.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Mekies detailed his excitement for Red Bull’s new wind tunnel, which is expected to be in operation sometime this year.

The Frenchman is under the impression that it will take Red Bull to ‘a completely different level’ in comparison to their rivals, and could be the key to unlocking maximum performance from the RB22’s design philosophy.