Mekies Predicts 'One-Off' Mexico Order, Updates Red Bull Wind Tunnel Timeline

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies expects the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix to produce a 'one-off' competitive order as teams deal with high altitude and cooling compromises. After FP1, he also confirmed Red Bull’s new wind tunnel should come online during 2027.

Why it matters:

Mexico City sits more than 2km above sea level, and thinner air changes how power units and chassis perform. Teams must sacrifice outright pace for reliability, so the usual pecking order may not hold. For Red Bull, any gain or loss could be track-specific rather than a genuine shift in form.

The details:

• Mekies said there were no altitude-related surprises, though Isack Hadjar lost FP1 track time to a power unit issue unrelated to elevation.
• He expects every team to run below optimum: the thin air affects power units, while cooling needs force chassis compromises.
• 'We expect that this race could be a one-off in terms of pecking order,' Mekies said, adding Red Bull do not yet know if they will have an advantage or deficit.
• Red Bull’s new Milton Keynes wind tunnel is not ready. Mekies said it should be operational sometime in 2027, likely for the second half of that year’s car and most of the 2028 car.
• He called the current Bedford facility probably the oldest on the grid, despite strong results, and said the new tunnel should unlock more potential once calibration is complete.

What's next:

Mexico’s true competitive picture will emerge in qualifying and the race as teams show how much pace they traded for survival. Red Bull’s wind tunnel is a longer-term play: no instant gains, but potentially greater development capacity from 2027 onward.