Red Bull issued clear turnaround verdict after F1 'fallout'

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has hailed the turnaround in form that Red Bull has seemingly carried through the winter break and into the new campaign.

A mid-season slump in form in 2025 saw profound change at the squad, with long-time boss Christian Horner ousted in favour of Laurent Mekies.

However, the team was able to recover form and came within two points of causing a major title upset with Max Verstappen.

Its turnaround last year was occurring while Red Bull was building towards the 2026 campaign and the debut of its own in-house power unit.

The engine's performance and efficiency impressed many across pre-season testing - including Palmer. 

“They have done such a good job to turn up and be competitive,” the former Renault driver told the F1 Nation podcast.

“They've got a lot of resource, those other [manufacturers]. It takes so much to turn up and be competitive in what is really an engine formula right now - certainly the first half of the year, with everyone getting on top of it. 

“They were reliable, they were quick. Mercedes still think that they've got the best recharge capacity, which means they can deploy more energy.

“[That] is an amazing feat, if it's even close to being true, if they're even in the picture. [It] certainly looks like they're competitive in a straight line.”

As well as Horner, Red Bull has also seen Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley depart the squad.

There were even suggestions that Max Verstappen's time could be coming to an end before he stayed put for the 2026 campaign.

As the team looks towards a competitive 2026 campaign, Palmer added: “So hats off [to Red Bull]. 

“The turnaround is almost complete, from the fallout up until Christian Horner leaving in June last year. 

“Laurent Mekies is coming in, the team falling away. Adrian Newey leaving, all the high-profile departures, Max Verstappen talking about potentially leaving, talking to Toto Wolff about the Mercedes seat.

“If they're even competitive this year on the back of what they did at the end of last year, it's an absolutely amazing turnaround for the whole entity of Red Bull Racing.”