Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has pledged not give up on the Formula 1 title fight until its mathematically impossible for Max Verstappen to win, even after Christian Horner was fired as team principal.
In the first sign of the teams ambitions after ending Horners 20-year tenure and appointing Laurent Mekies, Marko dismissed suggestions Thursday that the move might mark a shift of focus to 2026.
As for the current sporting situation: there are still twelve races to go, and we will continue to fight for the drivers championship as long as its mathematically possible, Marko said in comments released by the team.
It comes after Max Verstappen third in the standings, 69 points off the lead had seemed pessimistic about his title defense. Marko himself last month told Austrian TV the team might need to write off the title if things didnt improve.
There was no mention Thursday of the constructors standings, where Red Bull is far adrift of McLaren.
Turning around a disappointing season is just one of many urgent demands facing Mekies on his first full day as Red Bulls new team principal.
Verstappens future
The defending champion last week refused to commit to staying with Red Bull for 2026, even while Horner claimed Verstappens intention is that he will be there.
Its likely to become clearer in the coming weeks whether Horners departure has done anything to make Verstappen more willing to stay.
If Verstappen does leave, it would likely be for rival Mercedes. Losing its star driver relatively late in 2025 could hamper Red Bulls development work for next year, and there are few experienced options available.
The second seat
The two sides of the Red Bull garage seem like different teams.
Verstappen has scored 165 of Red Bulls 172 points this year despite his frequent complaints about the car. For anyone else, it seems undriveable. The last Red Bull podium for a driver other than Verstappen was in April 2024. The last win came in April 2023.
Last week, Horner said Verstappens teammate Yuki Tsunoda would be given the rest of the season to show what he can do. Whatever happens, Mekies has to choose who will fill that seat for 2026.
One option is Isack Hadjar, the impressive rookie at Racing Bulls. However, Mekies was at Racing Bulls when Liam Lawson was first promoted, then sent back down with shattered confidence.
Office politics
Getting the best out of Red Bull means dealing with its internal politics.
In his previous role with Racing Bulls, Mekies worked with the 82-year-old Marko, who is employed by Red Bulls parent company and oversees both of its F1 teams. The Austrian is influential but his authority and position are vaguely defined.
Another influential figure who isnt a team employee is Jos Verstappen. The star drivers father is a regular presence in the paddock and wasnt afraid of criticizing Horner in public.
Since Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitzs death in 2022, the parent companys shareholders in Thailand have shaped the direction of the team. Theyre rarely seen at races and avoid commenting in public.
Big changes in 2026
The most sweeping changes to F1 cars in a generation could reshape the sport.
Red Bull aced the last big regulation change in 2022 with a car designed by Adrian Newey. He left last year for Aston Martin, an ambitious team which has been planning for this moment for years. Its just one of several rivals with their eyes on Red Bulls place as a title challenger.
Mekies will need to get a quick grasp of Red Bulls plans for 2026 and a major expansion of its in-house engine production program, which includes Ford returning to F1 for next year as Red Bulls partner.
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AP auto racing:
红牛车队顾问赫尔穆特·马尔科承诺，只要马克斯·维斯塔潘在数学上还有夺冠可能，就不会放弃一级方程式冠军的争夺，即便克里斯蒂安·霍纳已被解除车队领队职务。
在结束霍纳20年任期并任命洛朗·梅基斯后，马尔科周四驳斥了此举可能标志着将重心转向2026年的说法，这首次展现了车队的雄心。
马尔科在车队发布的声明中表示："就目前的赛事形势而言，本赛季还剩12场比赛。只要理论上还存在夺冠可能，我们就会继续为车手总冠军而战。"
此前，马克斯·维斯塔潘（目前在积分榜上排名第三，落后榜首69分）对卫冕冠军的前景似乎持悲观态度。马尔科上个月曾对奥地利电视台表示，如果情况没有改善，车队可能需要“放弃”争夺冠军。
周四的报道中并未提及车队积分榜的情况，红牛车队目前与迈凯伦车队差距悬殊。
作为红牛车队新任领队的首个完整工作日，扭转令人失望的赛季局面只是梅基斯面临的众多紧迫任务之一。
维斯塔潘的未来
卫冕冠军上周拒绝承诺2026年继续效力红牛车队，尽管霍纳声称维斯塔潘的"意愿是留在车队"。
未来几周内，霍纳的离职是否会让维斯塔潘更愿意留队，可能会变得更加明朗。
若维斯塔潘最终离队，其去向很可能是竞争对手梅赛德斯车队。在2025年赛季较晚阶段失去明星车手，或将影响红牛车队下一年度的研发工作，且目前市场上可用的经验丰富替代人选寥寥无几。
第二席位
红牛车队的两个阵营看起来就像两支不同的队伍。
尽管维斯塔潘（Verstappen）频繁抱怨赛车问题，但今年红牛车队172分中有165分由他斩获。对其他车手而言，这辆赛车似乎难以驾驭。红牛车队上一次由维斯塔潘之外的车手登上领奖台是在2024年4月，而最近一次非维斯塔潘的分站胜利则要追溯到2023年4月。
上周，霍纳表示维斯塔潘的队友角田裕毅将获得本赛季剩余时间证明自己的能力。无论结果如何，梅基斯都必须决定由谁来填补2026年的这个席位。
一个选择是赛车公牛队表现亮眼的新秀伊萨克·哈贾尔。不过利亚姆·劳森当初被提拔后又遭下放、信心受挫时，梅基斯正在赛车公牛队任职。
办公室政治
要想从红牛公司获得最大收益，就必须应对其内部政治问题。
梅基斯此前在红牛二队任职时，曾与82岁的马尔科共事。马尔科受雇于红牛母公司，并监管其旗下的两支F1车队。这位奥地利人颇具影响力，但其职权范围界定模糊。
另一位非车队雇员但颇具影响力的人物是乔斯·维斯塔潘（Jos Verstappen）。这位明星车手的父亲常驻围场，且曾公开批评霍纳（Horner）而毫不避讳。
自红牛联合创始人迪特里希·马特希茨2022年去世后，这家母公司位于泰国的股东们便主导着车队的发展方向。他们极少现身赛事现场，也避免公开置评。
2026年的重大变革
一级方程式赛车迎来了一代人时间里最彻底的变革，这项运动或将因此重塑格局。
红牛车队在2022年凭借阿德里安·纽维设计的赛车，成功应对了上一次重大规则变更。纽维于去年转投阿斯顿·马丁——这支雄心勃勃的车队为此已筹备多年。如今，包括阿斯顿·马丁在内的多个竞争对手，正虎视眈眈地盯着红牛作为冠军挑战者的地位。
梅基斯需要迅速掌握红牛车队2026年的计划，以及其内部引擎生产项目的重大扩展，其中包括福特作为红牛合作伙伴于明年重返F1赛事。
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