Red Bull identify 'important' development ahead of crucial 2026 F1 season

Laurent Mekies has highlighted how Red Bull's "sensational" turnaround gives the Milton Keynes-based squad "a level of confidence" heading into the new era of F1.

The championship's regulations have been reset ahead of next season, but the Frenchman was keen to point out that his team's recovery over the course of the campaign just gone instils faith in the 'tools, methodologies and approaches' of the six-time F1 constructors' champions.

Max Verstappen ultimately fell just two points short of retaining his F1 drivers' championship, losing out to Lando Norris in a three-way title battle that also included Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren.

The Dutchman started the year in strong form, keeping relative pace with the two MCL39s over the opening rounds.

However, he was powerless to prevent his form slumping in the middle of the season as the RB21 struggled.

By the conclusion of the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen had fallen to 104 points adrift of Piastri, who had a commanding lead in the standings at that stage.

But the floor upgrade that Red Bull delivered to his car at the subsequent event, in Monza, transformed his fortunes and propelled him back into title contention and was the start of six victories over the final nine weekends of the campaign.

After the curtain came down on the season in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen also won, Mekies was asked how he views the championship: as a missed opportunity or as a bonus given the situation when he took over in July.

The team principal underlined the strength of his driver and Red Bull's package at the Yas Marina Circuit, pointing to the impressive turnaround since the summer break.

He pointed out how critical that is to the team, with it entering a new era of its own as a power unit manufacturer for the first time.

"I guess the first thing we look at is a race win," the 48-year-old replied to media, including RacingNews365.

"A win is a win — it's difficult enough. So, race win, dominant pole, fundamentally a dominant race pace on a difficult track.

"I think for everyone who has worked hard on this car, it's very telling. We were not dominating in Qatar, and to finish on a note like that, on a clean race, for us, is the dominating factor.

"Then, if you look back to the season, truly think the turnaround was sensational, and the girls and the guys back at home should be proud of what has been achieved.

"I don't think it has happened very often in the last few years or decades, and that's what we look at. It allows us to go into the winter with a level of confidence in our tools, in our methodologies, in our approaches. That is important.

"Some of that, we'll be able to carry on to next year's regulations. Some of that will become less relevant..."

Mekies: 'All credit should go to our people in Milton Keynes'

As for the decisive two points that Verstappen fell short by, Mekies did not want to be forthcoming with crunch points across the year, instead continuing to shine a light on how the team helped provide Verstappen with the platform to get back into the title fight.

"And I don't think we should now go into making the list of the circumstances in which we could have found these two points," he added.

"No, we will probably do it internally, in a way that we will learn from the mistakes we make, but we don't need to wait for the end of the championship to do that. We always do it anyway.

"But the two points could be everywhere. What is important is that we, as a group, turned things around in the way that has been done, and once again, all the credit should go to our people in Milton Keynes for having believed in this year's project and having been proven right."