Laurent Mekies credits Verstappen’s Bahrain win for Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ milestone debut

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Laurent Mekies reflected on Max Verstappen’s Bahrain Grand Prix win, calling the result a “milestone moment in the history” of Red Bull and its power unit programme. Mekies emphasized that the victory marked Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ first win in their opening season as the team’s power unit partnership with Ford begins to deliver on-track outcomes. Speaking in the context of the team’s Bahrain weekend, he said the achievement was the first victory “for us as a power unit manufacturer with Red Bull Ford Powertrains in its very first season.”

Mekies linked the significance of the Bahrain win to Red Bull’s earlier difficulties in 2026. He said the team began the year “significantly off the pace set by Mercedes,” but that subsequent upgrade packages helped close the gap enough to pursue their goal of returning to the top step of the podium. In his assessment, the Bahrain outcome served as a culmination of that development work, coming after “showing strong pace in every session” and converting it into race success.

The team’s momentum, according to Mekies, included strong qualifying form during the same swing of races. He pointed to Verstappen’s “outstanding” display in Malaysia, where Verstappen dominated Qualifying to take pole position. Mekies described how Verstappen overcame early-race setbacks against his Mercedes rivals before charging back to win, setting a foundation of confidence that then carried forward to Bahrain’s race result.

Mekies said Verstappen’s performance in Bahrain was both controlled and situation-aware. He described the race as “often chaotic circumstances,” but said Verstappen remained in control, managed the conditions “brilliantly,” and delivered the strongest pace needed for the P1 result. Mekies also noted that after securing the team’s first pole position of the season on Saturday, Verstappen converted that opportunity into an “outstanding P1,” underscoring how qualifying execution fed directly into the race outcome.

In addition to Verstappen’s win, Mekies addressed Red Bull’s other car. He explained that while Isack Hadjar had looked poised for a strong points haul and potential double-podium outcome after recovering from eighth on the grid, a battery issue limited him to fifth place. Mekies said the situation created “mixed feelings” inside the garage, acknowledging that Hadjar also demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend but that “not everything went well with his car.”

Despite the setback, Mekies framed fifth as a meaningful result relative to Hadjar’s starting position. He said finishing fifth was still strong given where Hadjar began, but that it was frustrating because “more was possible.” Mekies added that Red Bull would analyse what happened, take positives from a weekend in which “both drivers were consistently competitive,” and then shift priorities quickly to the next race.

Finally, Mekies urged the team to mark the occasion appropriately. He said everyone should “enjoy a well-deserved victory” and recognize the importance of the milestone for the squad. He characterized the win as a fitting reward after a weekend in which Red Bull translated earlier progress into a complete package, insisting that results like Bahrain were the outcome of sustained efforts to improve their performance in recent months, including the ability to “convert that pace.”