Team principal Laurent Mekies has praised the “fire” that he has seen in the engineers at Red Bull this term, both after their “terrible” races and after Max Verstappen’s wins.

Verstappen has put Red Bull back on top of the Formula 1 summit over recent races, having scored back-to-back victories from pole position in Malaysia and Singapore. The 29-year-old also won the F1 Sprint at Marina Bay from pole position after Red Bull’s recent updates.

The work that Red Bull have done to turn the RB22 into a serious contender for wins against Mercedes’ W17 and Ferrari’s SF-26 also made history for the team. Verstappen’s Bahrain GP win in Malaysia was the first F1 Grand Prix victory for a Red Bull Powertrains engine, as well.

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Laurent Mekies thinks only the F1 title would please Red Bull, despite Max Verstappen’s wins

But Red Bull’s recent success is in stark contrast to most of their season, and Verstappen had to wait until round 16/23 to secure his first win – marking his longest drought to begin a season since 2017. There have also been an array of considerable lows for Red Bull this year.

Team principal Mekies highlights the Chinese Grand Prix and Japanese Grand Prix in rounds two and three as some of Red Bull’s darkest days this term. Even Mercedes chief Toto Wolff branded the Chinese GP a “horror show” for Verstappen, as he qualified 1.734s off George Russell’s F1 Sprint pole pace and 0.938s off Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Grand Prix qualifying.

Such were Red Bull’s woes and his issues with F1’s 2026 engine regulations at the Japanese GP that Verstappen began threatening to quit F1 at Suzuka, as well. But seven months later, Verstappen is winning races for Red Bull again – but some staff remain unhappy as he is not fighting for a fifth title, marking the first time that he has not been in a title fight since 2020.

Mekies told Corriere della Sera: “Red Bull have a unique spirit. After terrible GPs like China and Japan, I’d walk around the office and see fire behind every door.

“They couldn’t accept the fact that we were so far behind. There wasn’t a single department that didn’t take responsibility…

“Here, even when you win a race and congratulate someone, they reply, ‘Yes, but…’, and they write down a list of things to improve. That’s what always pushes us to the top.”

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Verstappen fought for the F1 title each term from 2021 to 2025, and won his four titles in a row from 2021 to 2024 before falling just two points shy of McLaren’s Lando Norris in 2025.

But the Dutchman only ranks fourth in the 2026 standings ahead of round 18/23, which also marks the first chance that Mercedes talent Antonelli has to become the 2026 F1 champion.

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Red Bull’s plight also gave Verstappen the chance to leave the team at the summer break, as he entered the mid-season interval just sixth in the standings. Verstappen had to be outside the top two at the summer break for the release clause in his contract to become available.

Instead, Verstappen signed a new contract with Red Bull through 2030 (extending his days in Milton Keynes on paper past 2028). And committing his future to the team also preceded their improved form, which some are suggesting may see Red Bull fight for the 2027 F1 title.

Team principal Mekies refuses to get too carried away by thinking about Verstappen fighting Antonelli for the 2027 F1 title. But Red Bull are already “taking risks” with their car design in the final rounds of the 2026 season to try to put themselves in a stronger position for 2027.

Mekies added: “Let’s keep our feet on the ground. There are four teams that can win every race, and that will continue to be the case. We made different design choices for 2027 to start strong from the start. In this finale, we’re taking risks to learn.”