Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies will be absent this week from the first official pre-season test in Bahrain. The Frenchman will miss the three-day event, running from Wednesday 11 February to Friday 13 February, after recently undergoing a ‘minor, routine medical procedure’, Red Bull confirmed. The 48-year-old is expected to remain closely involved with the team and to maintain intensive contact throughout the test period.
Multiple sources say Laurent Mekies is targeting a return for the second pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, scheduled for 18 to 20 February. That would see him back on site in the run-up to the season. Red Bull faces a major challenge in 2026. The Austrian outfit must not only adapt to sweeping changes in the F1 regulations, but will also, for the first time, run its own power unit.
During the closed shakedown in Barcelona, Red Bull already covered substantial mileage. Max Verstappen and rookie Isack Hadjar benefited from a reliable first outing of the new power unit, despite Hadjar crashing in one of his sessions. The young driver completed 158 laps, while four-time world champion Verstappen logged 145 laps. Several rivals voiced their admiration after the power unit’s initial run.
