Red Bull boss sets damning 2026 expectation: 'We don’t expect to be winning'

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies does not expect to be "winning" next F1 season, claiming the Milton Keynes-based squad is not "delusional" about the size of the task ahead of it.

The six-time constructors' champions will, like F1, embark on a new era in 2026. Whilst the championship is overhauling its chassis and engine regulations, Red Bull is becoming a full works team for the first time, manufacturing its own power unit for its main outfit and sister operation Racing Bulls through Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) and a technical partnership with Ford.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently described it as a "Mount Everest to climb" for the energy drinks-backed team, an assertion Mekies does not disagree with.

The Austrian is well-placed to make such a judgement, with Mercedes having aced the last power unit rules change in F1, in 2014.

Nonetheless, Mekies insists Red Bull knows how to tackle the monumental task facing it, stating the team has all it needs in place to eventually succeed.

"It is indeed an Everest, but we are facing it the Red Bull way," he told Autosprint. "Our company knows how to climb them.

"We have everything we need to cover the path as quickly as possible, though we are not delusional: we don’t expect to be winning already in 2026"

Mekies believes only Red Bull could undergo the transformation into an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), which comes at the same point Alpine is relinquishing its works team status to become a Mercedes customer.

The 48-year-old is, however, adamant that there is no timeframe for the team to have achieved further success in F1 by.

"Only Red Bull in modern times has managed to build a team from scratch and win world titles, and only Red Bull could build a power unit independently," the Frenchman added.

"I mean, there is no deadline, but we are capable of anything."