Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has predicted that his squad is trailing its main rivals ahead of the Formula 1 2026 season opener, stating that Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren are “a fair bit faster” at present.
Speaking during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Mekies continued to temper expectations surrounding the RB22’s competitiveness before the championship begins in Melbourne.
Red Bull had been labelled the “surprise” package during the opening three-day test in Sakhir, prompting Mercedes — initially regarded as the early favourite — to suggest the Milton Keynes-based team was leading the field. However, during the second test, the RB22, driven by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, appeared more subdued and encountered minor reliability interruptions.
“We see Mercedes being the fastest team right now,” Mekies told media, including RacingNews365, during the team principals’ press conference on the final day of testing.
“As Alan [Permane] said, it’s a bit of a guessing game. I was questioning the guessing game of my colleagues; I’m not going to the game myself.
“But we think Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren — the three of them — are probably a fair bit faster than us right now.”
Some rival teams have suggested Red Bull may have been running its new Red Bull-Ford power unit conservatively during the second test. Nevertheless, Mekies rejected the notion that his team currently sits at the front of the competitive order.
“Telling you by what amount or in which order is probably too difficult, but that would be my guess right now,” he added.
“But the guess will change when we all evolve our cars. We’ll all start to optimise what we have, and things will move again.
“I will say, we think these three are a fair bit ahead of everyone else.”
The comments signal a shift in narrative compared to Red Bull’s dominance under the previous regulations. With sweeping technical changes introduced for 2026, including revised aerodynamics and new power unit architecture, the competitive hierarchy appears less predictable heading into the Australian Grand Prix.
Whether Red Bull’s apparent deficit is genuine or strategic remains to be proven once competitive running begins. As Mekies emphasised, early-season development trajectories are likely to redefine the pecking order in the opening months of the new regulatory era.
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