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Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies has said that people have been ‘unfair’ to their under-fire chief Pierre Wache.
Wache is currently the technical director at Red Bull and has been responsible for the design of the team’s RB21 and RB22.
However, the Frenchman has been put under increasing pressure after Red Bull’s underwhelming start to the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.
It has been previously claimed that Max Verstappen does not fully trust Wache, having publicly called out the RB21’s performance during the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, Ralf Schumacher took aim at Wache recently, doubting his ability to turn Red Bull’s fortunes around.
Wache has also been linked with a move to Ferrari, something that has been labelled as a ‘safety net’ if he is made the ‘scapegoat’ for Red Bull’s current troubles.
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Laurent Mekies backs Red Bull’s under-fire chief Pierre Wache
Speaking recently to Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf, Red Bull boss Mekies praised Wache, claiming people had forgotten about the team’s drastic improvements at the back end of the 2025 season.
Mekies also believes that he has the ‘best people’ working for Red Bull and is adamant that the talent list will continue to grow.
Mekies said: “I say this because I mean it: we have the best people working in every department, in this whole paddock.
“So that includes Ben Hodgkinson in the engine department and Pierre Waché on the chassis side, who made a historic comeback with his team last year. It’s unfair to forget that.
“I don’t have to defend here that Red Bull has lost important people in recent years. That’s just a fact.”
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He continued: “But now it’s about how we deal with it. Talents can grow within our organisation, and if the situation calls for it, we attract people from outside.
“But then it is important to make Red Bull so interesting that everyone wants to work here. Of course, there are ups and downs.
“But I am also proud that we always look at internal promotions first, as we have only done with the restructuring of our technical team.
“I also understand that there is a lot to do about the departure of Gianpiero Lambiase (in 2028 to McLaren), but he will continue to work here for the time being and will face a great promotion there.”
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Laurent Mekies says Red Bull are not a ‘sinking ship’
Despite their current troubles and the ever-growing list of high-profile departures, Mekies is confident he can turn things around.
The Frenchman rejected claims that Red Bull are becoming a ‘sinking ship’ and vowed to take a ‘big step’ towards the frontrunners.
Mekies said: “No, of course we are not a sinking ship. We do have to look beyond just the first three races of this season. As a result, we should not be distracted. It’s normal for fans to expect more from us, we do that ourselves.
“We made a great catch-up last year. And those same brilliant men and women on our team are now doing everything they can to solve this season’s car problems. And we’re going to succeed, just beware.”
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