Laurent Mekies has underlined why the Miami Grand Prix is such an important weekend for Red Bull and Ford.
Laurent Mekies has highlighted the Miami Grand Prix as a “significant moment” for Red Bull Ford Powertrains as the partnership makes its North American debut. The race weekend in the Sunshine State is the first of three US rounds on the 2026 calendar and comes after a five-week hiatus caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix due to safety concerns amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The team principal acknowledged the significance of the Floridian weekend as Red Bull seeks to address early-season struggles with the RB22 that have left the Milton Keynes outfit with just 16 points from the opening three rounds. “The Miami Grand Prix is also the first of three races to be held in the USA this season and is therefore a significant moment for us, as Red Bull Ford Powertrains makes its North American debut,” Mekies said. The extended spring break has provided crucial development time for Red Bull, which has been battling reliability issues with its fledgling power unit alongside fundamental chassis problems, including excess weight. “Everyone at Red Bull is excited to be going racing again after the enforced break,” he said. “There is no denying that these past few weeks have proved useful for teams, the FIA and Formula 1: for the teams to further develop these very new cars and for all three parties to work together to fine-tune the regulations based on learnings from the first three grands prix.” Red Bull is expected to bring a substantial upgrade package to Miami, including a new front wing, revised sidepods and an updated rear wing straight-mode mechanism in the ilk of Ferrari’s “macarena” approach.
