Brown won’t write off Red Bull despite recent departures

McLaren CEO Zak Brown told a small media group that writing off Red Bull Racing now would be “very foolish,” even after the Austrian team lost key staff. He praised technical director Laurent Mekies’s ability to rebuild and said the grid is likely to tighten, not widen.

Why it matters:

Red Bull’s long‑standing dominance sets the benchmark for the sport; any slip could rewrite the championship hierarchy. For McLaren, understanding the true state of Red Bull helps shape its own upgrade strategy. Brown also flagged Audi’s rapid progress, hinting that a new challenger could emerge sooner than expected.

The details:

• Key departures include team principal Christian Horner, chief aerodynamics officer Jonathan Wheatley, and design guru Adrian Newey.
• Brown said Red Bull needs a “reset” after losing those figures, likening it to the upheaval he faced when he joined McLaren.
• He commended Mekies as “technical, young, and capable of rebuilding the lost talent,” noting the team still holds deep engineering expertise.
• The CEO praised Audi’s entry as “very good work,” suggesting the German manufacturer could climb the grid quickly.

What's next:

Mekies must rebuild the pit wall, retain remaining staff and integrate new hires before the season opener to stabilise performance. If Red Bull finds its footing, the 2026 title fight will remain a three‑way battle with Mercedes and Ferrari; if not, Audi could become the first serious challenger to the traditional front‑runners.