It’s not just Red Bull for whom the 2026 season is an extra-high-stakes year. For American carmaker Ford, too, the coming period is do-or-die. The two are appearing on the grid together this year for the first time with a brand-new power unit, produced by Red Bull’s own engine division Red Bull Powertrains. Ford is glad that Laurent Mekies is in charge at the Austrians to lead the entire process. ‘He understands what it ultimately takes to deliver the car,’ says team boss Mark Rushbrook.
Red Bull is currently in Barcelona busy testing the brand-new power unit, the DM01, as thoroughly as possible. Isack Hadjar — who on Monday had the honour of being the first to take a seat in the RB22 — was satisfied after his first day at the Spanish circuit. ‘Of course there are still a few things that need fine-tuning, but otherwise it’s looking good,’ concluded the new teammate of Max Verstappen. Although Red Bull has taken on a major challenge by introducing a self-produced engine for the first time while coping with sweeping regulation changes, the team has one big advantage in team principal Laurent Mekies.
Ford chief Mark Rushbrook — the American car giant is working with Red Bull on the DM01 — stresses how Mekies’ technical background allows him to tune his leadership to the competitive demands of the final 2026 package. “I personally believe Mekies’ technical background helps enormously. He better understands what is ultimately required to deliver the car,” Rushbrook said. “Of course he’s not going to be down in the weeds doing the detailed engineering himself. But he can back up Pierre (Wache, ed.), Paul (Monaghan, ed.) and everyone else. If they need help or if a project needs to be signed off, Laurent can see it, understand it and give them the support they need.”
Praise for Horner
Rushbrook is not only full of praise for the new team boss. He also has a great deal of respect for what former team boss Christian Honer achieved at Red Bull. The Brit had to leave the Austrian outfit last July because of disappointing results. “He deserves a lot of respect for what he built at the Red Bull team over twenty years, both in terms of championships and technical depth,” the boss continued. “And yes, he was the one with whom we (Ford, ed.) had our very first conversations. A good rapport formed straight away that reached right up to the top of our company — and that helped us get into this sport the right way. So full credit for everything he achieved during his career.”
