Formula 1

Mekies credits Verstappen’s feedback in Red Bull resurgence

The team principal says Verstappen’s technical insight has helped guide development as Red Bull targets more wins after its Singapore success.

Omar Al-Sabah

Straight wire

Racing Racing: cars and motorcycles Straight wire

Formula 1 reported on October 12, 2026, that Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies credited Max Verstappen’s technical feedback with helping the team’s recent recovery.

Verstappen converted pole position into victories in both the Sprint and the race at the Singapore Grand Prix, following a win in Malaysia. Mekies said the driver’s ability to identify limits in the car had helped guide chassis and power-unit development.

Feedback helps shape development

Mekies said Verstappen was able to pinpoint factors limiting performance, while noting that identifying a problem did not necessarily mean the team could solve it immediately. He described the driver’s input as a significant help to the team’s development work.

The team principal also said Red Bull maintained direct and constructive discussions, including after a weekend in which it claimed pole position and won both the Sprint and the race. He said the team still identified areas it wanted to improve.

Red Bull cautious despite improved pace

Mekies said Red Bull had shown winning pace at three recent races and had won two of them. He considered the car capable of being competitive at other types of circuits, but stressed that performance could change from one weekend to the next.

At the time of the report, Red Bull was closing on McLaren for third place in the Teams’ Championship, with seven points between them. Mekies cautioned that rivals bringing upgrades could quickly alter the competitive order.

Focus shifts to learning and 2027

Mekies said Red Bull had completed its substantial update programme for the year, while continuing to work on improvements and use the remaining races to learn. He also said the team had to direct attention and resources toward making another step for 2027.

Newsroom

The account and comments are attributed to Formula 1, which published the report on October 12, 2026.

Byline

Omar Al-Sabah

Straight wire

Editorial transparency · How this story was created

This article was prepared by the automated Ranko newsroom using tournament data recorded on Ranko Universe at the time of generation. Subsequent updates or corrections may not yet appear here.

This report summarises the results and standings available when it was prepared.

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