‘Bear with us in the first months’ – Mekies expecting ‘struggles’ amid challenge of Red Bull power unit project

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies conceded during the team’s launch event that he is anticipating some “struggles, headaches and sleepless nights” amid the challenge of the squad manufacturing their own power units for the first time in 2026.

Weeks before testing gets underway for the upcoming season – one in which new technical regulations will be introduced into the sport – Red Bull joined forces with sister outfit Racing Bulls to reveal their liveries for the new campaign during a special event held in Detroit.

The city was chosen as a host location given that it is known as the United States home of Ford, with whom Red Bull have partnered on Red Bull Ford Powertrains ahead of the maiden campaign in which they will supply both teams’ engines.

Reflecting on the challenge that this project poses – particularly coupled with the new rules coming into effect – Mekies explained at the event: “We are entering a striking moment for Formula 1. It’s going to be the biggest change of regulations in Formula 1 history.

“But that was not enough – it’s also the moment where we decided to do our own power unit, with the incredible support from our strategy partner Ford, with us from the very early days.

“It’s a crazy challenge – perhaps it’s a challenge that only a company like Red Bull and Ford can decide to do, but that’s what we are here for. It’s going to be a year full of challenges, but it’s fundamentally what brings us together.”

When asked what success would look like in Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ first year as a supplier, Mekies acknowledged that there are likely to be some tough moments ahead initially – but voiced his belief that they will “eventually come out on top”.

“After everything we’ve said on the size of the challenge, of starting from scratch and building everything up, I think going into the first year and going to the first race and thinking to be straight away at the level of the competition – who have been doing it for years – would be naïve,” the Team Principal said.

“We are not naïve. We know it’s going to be a fair amount of struggles, a fair amount of headaches and sleepless nights, but that’s exactly what we are here for. We have the confidence of having put together an amazing group of people, an amazing group of partners, and we will go through the struggles.

“We will eventually come out on top. Bear with us in the first few months, and I think these initial difficulties will be a good reminder of how much we went through to eventually get on top.”

It was revealed during the launch that the first power unit produced by the new manufacturer will be named DM01 in tribute to the late Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away in 2022.

“It’s his vision, his boldness, that Red Bull spirit,” Mekies explained. “He’s the reason why we are all here today.

“He made that unbelievable decision at the time to put us onto that route of being completely independent with the chassis and the power unit. He was not scared by the scale of the challenge, and today we have our opportunity to pay tribute and hopefully to make him proud.”

Also in attendance at the event were drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, with the former stating that he is “very excited” for the new era whilst also recognising that there are plenty of question marks entering into the new season.

“It’s all still a bit unknown,” the four-time World Champion said. “Of course it’s a very big change with the engine, the car – as you can see, the dimension of the car has changed a bit.

"For us drivers, initially it will take a bit of time to adjust, and that’s why it’s very important during the test days that we are getting our laps in and that we can optimise everything as well as possible.”

And when pushed on how much of an impact his strong finish to the 2025 season would have – in which his resurgence during the second half saw him only narrowly miss out on the Drivers’ title by two points to Lando Norris – Verstappen answered: “It’s always better to have an ending like that.

“The motivation is very high, everyone is ready. I’m very excited to start this new chapter.”