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Steiner warns Red Bull it could take ‘years’ to return to F1 glory days

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Steiner warns Red Bull it could take ‘years’ to return to F1 glory days
Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has backed Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies to turn the Austrian outfit’s early 2026 struggles around, but has warned a rebuild “will need some time.“

Red Bull have suffered a poor start to the 2026 season, already 119 points behind leaders Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings, with an RB22 that appears at odds with its drivers.

During the Chinese GP weekend, in which he went point-less after retiring in the race due to DRS coolant issues, Max Verstappen labelled the RB22 as “completely undriveable” – a P8 finish in Suzuka means he currently sits P9 in the Drivers’ standings.
To add to Red Bull’s woes, an exodus of high-profile figures has continued with the announcement that Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer in 2028 – adding to the long list of departures featuring the likes of Helmut Marko, Christian Horner and Adrian Newey.

For Steiner, Red Bull have the right man for a rebuild in team boss Mekies, but they should not expect to return to their pre-2025 dominance within “the next year or two.“

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It could take years for Red Bull rebuild, says Steiner

Photo: Race Pictures

Speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, Steiner shared his thoughts on the Red Bull exodus, and the team’s subsequent downturn in form at the start of 2026.

He said: “I think there was a combination of things; they didn’t win anymore, so the criticism for Christian [Horner] was that he didn’t do a good job. Everybody got nervous, and people saw opportunities.

“Adrian [Newey] was not happy there anymore. Jonathan Wheatley left. There are quite a few people who have left.

Steiner believes Mekies can find “young talent” who want to join Red Bull, but warns the Frenchman is “not a magician” and that a potential rebuild of the team will not be easy.

“It happens, and now, I’m sure that is what Laurent is focusing on. I think Laurent is a very good guy, but he will take, and he will need some time.

“He cannot fix in six months what happened in the last 24 months, he is not a magician. If they give Laurent enough time, he will fix it.

“He will bring his own people and try to find young talent who want to work at Red Bull and make them successful again.

“It will take some time; they cannot expect they will be back as the dominator or the dominating team in the next year or two.”

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Elsewhere, Verstappen’s father Jos has delivered a rather blunt response on social media to Andrea Stella’s comments on securing Gianpiero Lambiase’s McLaren move in 2028.
Verstappen Sr. posted underneath an X (formerly Twitter) post from Dutch publication Formule.nl saying that Stella “knows exactly why” Lambiase has made the switch to McLaren, and that it shows the team’s ability to attract “the best talents in Formula 1.“

Former Benetton man Jos simply responded to the post: “Because they’re offering him a lot of money.”

The exact details of Lambiase’s future contract with McLaren are not publicly known, although team principal Stella has said his arrival will add a “great amount of potential to the team for the long term.“

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