New Red Bull boss makes feelings clear on RB21 updates
New Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies knows there's work to be done on the RB21.
The Belgian Grand Prix marked Laurent Mekies’ first race as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing, taking over for Christian Horner, and the drawbacks to the current RB21 became very clear.
While Mekies acknowledged that the car has improved when compared to its previous performance, there’s still work to be done to bridge the gap between itself and McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari.
Mekies doesn’t hold back on the RB21
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Shortly after the British Grand Prix came the news that Horner, CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing since the team first entered the sport 20 years ago, had been fired with immediate effect and replaced by Racing Bulls team principal Mekies.
The 48-year-old Frenchman has been in the motorsport scene for decades before finding himself promoted to a position with a near-impossible task ahead of him: revitalise Red Bull Racing’s fortunes after the team’s performance slip.
That fall first reared its head in 2024, when McLaren was able to introduce upgrade packages that saw it snatch the World Constructors’ Championship, and when Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez began to struggle.
It has continued into 2025, with Red Bull’s RB21 proving a difficult car for even reigning champion Max Verstappen to handle.
Analysis from the Belgian Grand Prix:
👉 Belgian GP conclusions: Verstappen’s goodbye kiss, Hamilton’s uncomfortable truth, Piastri’s zone
👉 Belgian GP driver ratings: Hamilton makes amends as Norris gifts Piastri
Despite the pressure, Mekies and his Red Bull Racing team performed admirably throughout the Belgian GP weekend. Verstappen took a resounding victory during Saturday’s Sprint race after qualifying second behind Oscar Piastri.
For the grand prix itself, Verstappen only managed fourth on the starting grid as, for the first time this season, every Red Bull affiliated driver started within the top 10: Yuki Tsunoda in seventh, Isack Hadjar in eighth, and Liam Lawson in ninth.
Red Bull introduced a comprehensive suite of upgrades ahead of the race at Spa-Francorchamps, including revisions to the front wing, sidepod inlet, engine cover, suspension, and rear corners. The goal was to find more stability and predictability.
But for all the weekend’s positives, the RB21 remains a difficult car — and Mekies discussed as much with media including PlanetF1.com after the conclusion of the delayed race.
Asked about the performance of the upgrades when compared to the previous iterations of the RB21, Mekies admitted that it is “obviously difficult to give you much history” given his recent appointment to the team but that there are encouraging signs.
“Certainly the team is happy with the package in terms of, does it bring performance to the car? Yes.” he said.
“Does it bring enough? No.
“Does it fix all the balance limitations we have? No.
“It’s as simple as that. So we still have some work to do.”
There are, however, some positives. Mekies continued, “There is no questions on whether we brought performance to the car. We feel we did.
“Obviously, we cannot ignore the fact that also McLaren had a package this weekend. So it’s the usual development race between all the teams.”
With the F1 2026 season fast approaching, Red Bull still has much work to do.
Read next: Revealed: When McLaren can mathematically win the 2025 Constructors’ title
