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Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed the team will make an earlier call on switching development focus to 2026 than it did last season, as Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar continue to struggle for wins in what has become a difficult opening half to the 2025 campaign. Speaking to media in Hungary, Mekies acknowledged the team must soon decide how to balance short-term performance recovery with preparations for next year's regulation cycle, a choice made more urgent by their current fourth-place standing behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.
Red Bull's predicament is a sharp reversal from 2024, when a sustained update push brought Verstappen back into contention and delivered a late-season turnaround. This year, however, the Austrian squad has yet to win a race, and both drivers have reported recurring handling issues that have left the team scrambling to recover lost ground since the season opener.
Earlier switch than 2024 comeback
Mekies told the international media in Hungary that the timeline for pivoting to 2026 development will be brought forward. "I don't know how it is for the others, but what we know for certain right now is that we need to make a decision about the balance between this year and next year," he said. "I expect we will do that earlier than we did last year, especially now the regulations are as they are. We will certainly make a decision on that."
The regulatory reference is significant. While 2025 operates under stable technical rules, 2026 introduces sweeping changes to power unit architecture and aerodynamic regulations. Teams that delay their switch risk falling behind in a development race that has already begun in the background. Red Bull's current performance deficit makes the trade-off more acute: continuing to chase Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren this season could cost crucial months of 2026 preparation.
Performance gains made, but gap remains
Mekies insisted Red Bull has not stood still. "As far as this year is concerned, from the first race up to this weekend in Hungary, we have genuinely found a lot of performance in the car," he said. "That was mainly to correct the deficit we initially had as quickly as possible." The team has brought multiple upgrade packages since the opening round, targeting both aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical balance, but the gains have not translated into race wins.
The team principal struck a cautious tone when asked about the pace of future development. "It's probably difficult to imagine that we will continue at this tempo, but we also have to think about the best way to close those last few tenths of deficit," Mekies added. The phrasing suggests Red Bull recognises diminishing returns in chasing marginal gains on the current car, particularly when rivals have established a stable performance window.
Fourth-place reality and strategic stakes
Red Bull's fourth-place position in the constructors' standings is not just a statistical anomaly. It represents a financial and organisational challenge. A lower finish reduces prize money distribution and, more importantly, signals to partners and personnel that the team is no longer the benchmark. Hadjar, in his first full season alongside Verstappen, has had limited opportunity to demonstrate form in an uncompetitive package, raising questions about how the team evaluates driver performance in a transitional year.
The decision Mekies outlined will define Red Bull's trajectory for the next 18 months. If the team commits early to 2026, it risks writing off a season in which Verstappen remains on the grid and commercially valuable. If it persists with 2025 development, it gambles that rivals will not build an insurmountable head start under the new regulations. Last year's comeback bought Red Bull time. This year, time is the constraint.
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