Laurent Mekies’ remarks following the Suzuka free practice sessions regarding Red Bull’s struggles and their difficult start to the 2026 season
The Japanese GP weekend is now in full swing. Following the first two free practice sessions, the initial hierarchy of the field at Suzuka is beginning to emerge.
While Mercedes appears to be in a league of their own—with Ferrari (and McLaren, at least this morning) in close pursuit—Red Bull is undoubtedly the team in crisis. The outfit led by Laurent Mekies has been plagued by numerous reliability issues regarding their Power Unit, alongside significant driveability concerns that have drawn sharp criticism from the drivers.
Laurent Mekies’ Words: A Surrender by the Third GP?
In addition to the technical flaws of the RB22, the atmosphere within the Red Bull camp has grown increasingly tense during the opening stages of 2026 (notably following Verstappen’s heated press conference yesterday).
Echoing this frustration, Team Principal Laurent Mekies spoke with skepticism and pessimism following Friday’s sessions: “We don’t truly understand why we are so far off the pace, particularly in the first sector. Fundamentally, we are struggling significantly in medium-to-high speed corners “.
Mekies was specifically referencing the gap between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in the first sector, where the Dutchman trailed by over six-tenths on the same tire compound. “It is something we must address, and I don’t believe there is a quick fix overnight. There are several things simply not clicking at the moment There are several things simply not clicking at the moment“.
His comments then took a tone of “surrender”: “We are very far to be back; we are lacking a massive amount of performance. I think the drivers’ feedback made it clear that we haven’t been able to provide them with a car they can actually push to the limit. We have several critical areas we need to focus on.”
Then he concluded: “It’s part of the game and we are only at the start of the season. Today was a frustrating day, but we continue to keep the faith “.
