BEYOND THE GRID: Laurent Mekies on relishing the challenge at Red Bull

Red Bull were at a crossroads when Laurent Mekies took over as Team Principal halfway through 2025. After a difficult first half of the season, the question was – should they continue working on their 2025 car, or write that year off and prioritise the new regulations for 2026?

Their decision to stay focused on the 2025 machine paid off, with Max Verstappen going from more than 100 points behind to missing out on the title by just two points. But in this new era of Formula 1, Red Bull have fallen down the pecking order after a difficult start to the season.

On the latest episode of Beyond The Grid, Mekies explains to host Tom Clarkson why the team didn’t switch full focus to 2026 earlier, and whether they’re now paying the price for last year’s turnaround.

Mekies also talks about how different his experience as a Team Principal is at Red Bull compared to Racing Bulls. He shares insight into what Verstappen is like outside of the car, the Dutchman’s future with the team and how Isack Hadjar is settling into his new surroundings.

Plus, with Red Bull making their own power units for the first time this year, Mekies tells Clarkson why he describes their Powertrains project as a "crazy challenge" that only a team like Red Bull could take on.

To listen to this week’s episode, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.