Laurent Mekies Reveals Key Red Bull Car Improvements

Laurent Mekies has explained how Red Bull Racing made significant improvements to its Formula 1 car following a difficult start to the 2026 season, with the main focus placed on improving driver confidence behind the wheel.

The Milton Keynes-based team endured a challenging opening phase of the championship and struggled to match the pace of the leading teams. However, Red Bull showed clear progress at the Miami Grand Prix after conducting a major technical review during the five-week break following Suzuka.

Max Verstappen acknowledged the improvements after finishing fifth in Miami, which marked Red Bull’s strongest result of the season so far as the team continues chasing Mercedes.

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According to Mekies, Red Bull’s biggest problem early in the season was not purely the outright performance deficit, but the inconsistent behaviour of the car which prevented drivers from building confidence from corner to corner.

“After Suzuka on Sunday night, we said to each other that regardless of the performance deficit compared to late last year, we were not giving our drivers a consistent car, a car they could push with confidence lap after lap and corner after corner,” Mekies told media including RacingNews365.

Red Bull then used the extended break before Miami to analyse its data in detail and move the RB26 into a more stable operating window for the drivers. That work was completed alongside the team’s regular aerodynamic development programme.

Mekies admitted the improvement in driver confidence immediately translated into lap time gains. One of the major focus areas involved steering feel and front-end response, which had previously been difficult for the drivers to predict consistently.

“We knew we were losing a serious amount of lap time because of the lack of confidence the drivers had in the car. Steering was one aspect, although there are still several others we need to improve,” Mekies explained.

Car balance issues have remained one of Red Bull’s key challenges since the beginning of the latest ground-effect era. When the operating window becomes too narrow, even small setup changes can dramatically affect grip levels and overall stability, particularly during braking and rapid direction changes.

Despite the progress shown in Miami, Mekies stressed there is still considerable work required before Red Bull can consistently return to the front of the grid. The next major test will come at the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a venue where Red Bull has historically performed strongly.

The team has already secured five victories at the Montreal circuit, where heavy braking zones and traction-focused exits are expected to provide another important evaluation of Red Bull’s latest RB26 developments.

Source: RacingNews365.