Red Bull highlight 'huge boost' ahead of massive F1 rule change

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has highlighted the confidence boost the squad has enjoyed this year following its turnaround in form.

The Milton Keynes-based squad was not considered a major threat in the fight for the drivers' championship this year as McLaren dominated at the front of the field.

After the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, Max Verstappen was a mammoth 104 points down on the title lead.

However, as Red Bull continued to upgrade its car deep into the season, Verstappen became a late contender and narrowly missed out on a fifth straight championship.

Mekies asserted the Milton Keynes squad never doubted its personnel - but rather it has newfound confidence in its tools. 

“It’s a huge boost for the technical department to see the level of the car performance at the end of such a season,” Mekies told media including RacingNews365.

“It gives confidence against the people. We already had confidence in our people, we feel we have the best talent.

“But it gives confidence in the methodologies, in the tools, in the KPIs that we are using.

“That’s the most important aspect.”

Red Bull will enter a new era for the team next year, developing with its own power unit for the first time in its history.

The team will also have a revised driver line-up as Isack Hadjar joins the squad alongside Verstappen.