Mekies: We are going to have a few tough months in 2026

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the final race Red Bull raced with Honda power, and from 2026 onwards, they will run their own Red Bull Ford Powertrains, an operation Mekies inherited along with a dysfunctional team from former boss Christian Horner.

Mercedes are tipped to deliver a competitive turbo-hybrid power unit based on the new regulations that require the new units to deliver power from an Internal Combustion Engine and an electrical component on a 50-50 percent basis, while the MGU-H has been removed with the MGU-K boosted to give more power.

But Red Bull, and Audi as well, are reportedly struggling with their power unit programs, which are basically still in infancy.

Mekies was not all doom and gloom when asked about his team's 2026 power unit, but he was more conservative in his approach.

Facing the media in Abu Dhabi, the Frenchman said: "It would be naïve to think that we are going to land it on the top spot straight away there.

"So, we know we are going to have a few very, very tough months. Many sleepless nights, a few headaches, but it's also part of the privilege to be associated with these sort of challenges.

"We've said it many times now, the decisions to do your own power unit, in that case for us with the support of Ford, is the craziest decisions one can take. It was probably a call that only Red Bull can make.

"We started on this field, we now have a building, we have the dynos, we have the 600 people, and we will try to fight against people that have been doing it for 90 years.

"We love the challenge; we love that idea. It's very Red Bull, very proud to do it with Ford," Mekies concluded.

Having a competitive car and power unit in 2026 will be for Red Bull should they hope to retain the services of four-time F1 Champion Max Verstappen, whose contract with the team expires in 2028.