Mekies: Red Bull 'don't sign up for anything other than winning'

Laurent Mekies has delivered a blunt reminder that Red Bull's sole ambition is winning races, rejecting any notion that the team should be content with podiums after a difficult, winless first half to the 2026 season. Despite a remarkable turnaround that has seen the RB22 close the gap from over a second behind to mere tenths, the team boss insists the job is only complete when victories return.

Why it matters:

Red Bull entered the summer break without a win for the first time since 2015, and Max Verstappen failed to triumph in the opening races for the first time since 2017. For a squad accustomed to dominating the grid, the current drought directly tests its winning culture, and Mekies' refusal to accept second best signals that the standards in Milton Keynes remain as high as ever.

The details:

• The RB22 started the year 1.2 seconds adrift of Mercedes' pace and was initially battling Haas and Alpine in the lower points. Through mid-season, the gap has shrunk to roughly three tenths, placing Red Bull in direct combat with McLaren and Ferrari for rostrum finishes.
• Verstappen broke his podium duck at the Canadian Grand Prix in round five and has added three more top-three finishes across the subsequent six events, signaling a clear uptick in form.
• Mekies credited all 2,000 team members across the chassis and power unit divisions, noting that some gains came from visible updates while others emerged from unseen work in the background.
• The boss was keen to contextualize the slow start, referencing the late push on last year's car and ongoing power unit development that compromised the winter preparation.

What's next:

Mekies made clear there will be no celebration until Red Bull can win on merit. While the rate of progress suggests the team is heading in the right direction, bridging the final gap to consistent race-winning form is the only target that matters. The second half of the season will reveal whether the Milton Keynes outfit can convert its podium pace into the victories it demands.