Laurent Mekies has just nailed why Max Verstappen could fight for the 2026 F1 drivers’ title

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Laurent Mekies feels it would be “naive” to think Red Bull will fight at the front of F1 in their first year as an engine constructor, yet he has nailed why Max Verstappen could.

Red Bull are entering a new phase in their storied history in 2026, as the Milton Keynes crew are putting their own engine on the grid for the first time. Ever since Red Bull joined the grid in 2005 after taking over the Ford-run Jaguar F1 team, they only ever had customer engines.

Verstappen will once again lead Red Bull in the 2026 season, as he welcomes Isack Hadjar to Milton Keynes in the 21-year-old’s second season on the grid. The 28-year-old enters a new year not as the defending champion for the first time since 2021, when he won his first title.

McLaren’s Lando Norris beat Verstappen to win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title by only two points for his first title. Verstappen nearly achieved the biggest title comeback in F1 history, having trailed Oscar Piastri of McLaren by 104 points after the first 15 of the 24 rounds last season.

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Red Bull will develop their 2026 car at ‘three or four’ times the rate they achieved in 2025

Verstappen turned his season around to outscore Piastri in each of the final nine rounds, as well as Norris in seven, as Red Bull continued to develop the RB21 deep into 2025. McLaren stopped working on Piastri and Norris’ 2025 car in July to prioritise the 2026 F1 regulations.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations

Red Bull team principal Mekies is not confident predicting that Verstappen will fight for the F1 drivers’ championship again in 2026, with his crew fielding their own engine for the first time. He even feels it would be “naive” to claim Verstappen will, given Red Bull’s challenge.

But Mekies has also told Sky Sports that Red Bull will strive to develop the RB22 at “three or four” times the rate that they improved the RB21. Red Bull finished 2025 with the fastest car on the grid, after eclipsing McLaren’s MCL39 with late-season floor and front wing updates.

“We are going to be in an incredibly high development rate season, both on the chassis side and on the power unit side,” Mekies said.

“You have seen last year in a season that as the last year of a regulations cycle, you could still see how much the team could do through the season in terms of development.

“We’ll take that for 2026 multiplied by three or four in terms of development rate, certainly for us in terms of how much we have to learn. So, we take it step by step, but with the right level of aggressiveness.”

Red Bull’s car development plan is exactly why Max Verstappen could fight for the 2026 title

No rival F1 team will like hearing Mekies’ statement of intent that Red Bull will develop their 2026 car at “three or four” times the rate that they improved their 2025 challenger. Mekies’ assertion also nails why Verstappen could fight for the 2026 title with Red Bull’s own engine.

READ MORE: Lando Norris’ first F1 drivers’ title in 2025 was defined by seven key moments

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Christian Horner created Red Bull Powertrains and secured a technical partnership with Ford while still the team principal of Red Bull Racing following Honda’s initial decision to leave F1. Red Bull set about creating the first RBPT DM01 engine to debut under the 2026 regulations.

Mekies, who replaced Horner in charge of Red Bull in July 2025, is right to acknowledge that his Milton Keynes outfit will face a huge learning curve as they start competing with a power unit they built. But the engine is not the only aspect of the new regulations that will be vital.

Red Bull believe early-season aero upgrades will be huge in 2026, as teams will also need to learn how they can optimise their new packages. The active aerodynamic elements on front and rear wings in 2026, which drivers will be able to use in set zones, will especially be vital.

Also, fears remain in the paddock that Red Bull have found a loophole in the 2026 F1 engine regulations that could be worth around three to four tenths of a second per lap. Add in Red Bull’s car development plan for 2026, and Verstappen’s title hopes might not be that bleak.