The end of October marks a critical period for Red Bull’s motorsport program, as team principal Laurent Mekies and advisor Helmut Marko are expected to finalize driver lineups for both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Sources indicate a strong likelihood of Isack Hadjar being promoted to Red Bull, with Arvid Lindblad potentially making his F1 debut with Racing Bulls.

the performance gap between the Red Bull RB21 and the Racing Bulls VCARB 02 has intricate comparisons, with the former proving more challenging to drive. Mekies emphasized that Yuki Tsunoda‘s primary objective is to reduce the performance difference between himself and Max Verstappen in both qualifying and race conditions.

Mekies’ Evaluation of Tsunoda’s Performance

Mekies stated that the evaluation criteria are straightforward: “Quali pace, race pace; that’s what we look at, it’s as simple as that.” he noted that traffic and damage impacted Tsunoda’s race, but highlighted a strong qualifying performance. “He was two tenths from Max in Q1 and Max was not exactly slow this weekend.And with a small deficit from the car he was two tenths from Max in Q2,” Mekies added.

“Quali pace, race pace; that’s what we look at, it’s as simple as that.”

Mekies acknowledged that while the gap widened in Q3, Tsunoda’s overall performance, including reaching Q3, was commendable. He also pointed out that being the first car on the road in Q3 presented a disadvantage. “I think short-run pace was a very good sample for Yuki; long-run pace, it’s frustrating not to have a clean race day,” Mekies concluded.

Car Upgrades and Set-Up Philosophy

Tsunoda ran with an older floor specification compared to Verstappen at the recent race, but both drivers are expected to have the updated version for the upcoming race in Azerbaijan. Mekies clarified that the improved performance at Monza was primarily due to a revised set-up philosophy rather than the floor upgrade itself. “We had a floor upgrade only on Max’s car,” he said.”It’s a small update.It’s not a few tenths, but everything matters. We are confident it’s a small step in the right direction. We are hoping to have it on both cars for next race.”