Since becoming Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies can be praised for making a series of positive changes. Arguably the most notable is with the team’s new development approach, which has proven effective in improving the RB21.
With that said, the responsibilities for a team principal go beyond overseeing development. Driver selection, especially for a team that invests so heavily in its junior programme, is another key department.
For some time, Red Bull have often deferred to the judgements of Helmut Marko when selecting their driver line-ups.
This, however, is understood to have changed since Mekies took the leadership role at Milton Keynes.
Mekies’ Red Bull influence limits Marko’s driver preference
Helmut Marko has been at Red Bull since the very beginning, with driver selection being his main responsibility.
Over the last two decades, the 81-year-old can be credited with many inspired choices. Most famously, he moved to sign Max Verstappen to the Red Bull academy – a decision the team continue to benefit from today.
Almost a decade later, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, still regrets overlooking the Dutchman.
Of course, Marko has also committed a series of blunders. It was his decision, for example, to put Nyck de Vries in the second VCARB seat for the 2023 season.
It was only eight rounds later, as Tsunoda comprehensively outperformed De Vries, that Red Bull went back on this decision. Since then, a multitude of drivers (Ricciardo, Lawson, Hadjar) have competed for the Racing Bulls.
The same can be said of the main team, with Liam Lawson’s two-race stint resulting in an abrupt promotion for Yuki Tsunoda. In many ways, Helmut Marko’s ruthless approach to swapping drivers has resulted in the team’s awkward driver situation.
Tsunoda was thrown into the most difficult seat on the grid without any pre-season, which badly impacted his chances of performing. To make matters worse, the Japanese driver has often used older specifications than teammate Verstappen.
From the Lawson perspective, just two races were not enough time to prove himself at Red Bull. Even if Lawson’s deficit to Verstappen was too large, the team’s confidence in the Kiwi was clearly limited to begin with if they gave him such little time.
In this context, it is unsurprising that Laurent Mekies wants to employ a more patient approach. The Frenchman still has faith that Tsunoda can prove himself, and is optimistic the #22 car can end the season strongly.
According to Erik van Haren, Helmut Marko is not the only person deciding Red Bull’s ’26 line-up. This helps explain why no decisions have been made for 2026, with Mekies and other senior figures at Red Bull pursuing a more patient approach.
A team looking to the future
To be clear, it would be a stretch to say that Helmut Marko is no longer an important player. Instead, it is better to perceive the Austrian team’s new approach as a change in philosophy.
After all, many ex-Red Bull drivers (Sainz, Albon, etc.) are performing well across the field. Red Bull are even reported to have pursued Albon for a seat at the beginning of the year.
Albon’s resurgence at Williams is a reminder of the team’s unwillingness to let their driver develop. This is not something the Austrian outfit want to make a habit for the future, hence their more cautious strategy.
This does not necessarily mean Tsunoda will continue alongside Verstappen in 2026, but the team will be more considerate of the difficult circumstances surrounding his season.
When asked about potentially joining Red Bull this season, Isack Hadjar was swift to dismiss the suggestion. The Frenchman’s preference to join the team after a completely new set of regulations speaks volumes about the challenges presented by the RB21.
Main photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images (Red Bull Content Pool)
