Red Bull has announced the last significant F1 enhancement for 2026, aimed at Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

This is a substantial package, but as Mekies disclosed during Thursday’s team principals’ press conference, it also marks the last significant development of the year.

“It's likely our final major package. We've redirected a considerable portion of our resources, a vast majority, towards next year’s car,” the Red Bull team principal stated.

“However, that doesn’t imply we are no longer focusing on this season. Initially, we are still pursuing our first win, which remains a vital target for the team. Additionally, as you know, the regulations will see only minor changes for next year, providing us ample opportunities to continue learning in the remaining races to ensure we arrive as prepared as we can for next season.

“In summary, yes, this is the last significant upgrade for this year.”

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing

If a win does not occur in the remaining races this year, it would mark the first season since 2015—over a decade—where both Red Bull and Verstappen do not secure a single Grand Prix victory. Verstappen is hesitant to outright claim he anticipates no wins in 2026, but he did mention in Monza that such a scenario seems highly probable given the current situation.

Nevertheless, it must be noted that Red Bull’s performance has seen an upswing in recent weeks. Verstappen has secured a podium finish in five of the last seven Grands Prix, including the most recent two weekends in Monza and Madrid.

This suggests a positive trend, although Mekies acknowledges that it still falls short of the level Red Bull aspires to achieve.

“To put it this way: we’ve had two strong weekends in Monza and Madrid. Strong weekends imply fighting for podium positions. We've achieved five or six podiums in the last seven races, which is encouraging.

“Does this indicate that we had the fastest car in any of those races? No. So we are making progress, but we were always aware that the last one, two, or three tenths would be the hardest to secure compared to our closest rivals.

“There are four teams that are essentially within those two or three tenths. So, the gap can close quickly, shifting from contention for pole to being on the fourth row. We believe we are getting closer, but whether that will be sufficient for us to achieve the pace of the fastest car, we think there’s still work to be done.”