RB Chief Brutally Honest Over Expected Performance - 'It's Very Painful'

Alex Harrington | Aug 12, 2024

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Visa Cash App RB talks on the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. / Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

As the 2024 Formula 1 season reaches its midpoint at the Summer break, Laurent Mekies, the team leader of Red Bull's sister team RB, has offered a stark assessment of their performance. RB currently sits sixth in the constructors' championship, with 36 points—already surpassing their total from the previous season. Despite these numeric gains, Mekies has admitted that the car is in need of vital upgrades if they are to push their way up the grid. In an exclusive conversation with RacingNews365, he painted a vivid picture of the challenges and the path forward.

Mekies succinctly outlined the team's situation:

"Let me put it this way: what can we still improve? We cannot deny that everything that is still hidden in the car really needs to be seriously improved.

"I thank everyone in the team for the hard work, the constant energy and good atmosphere, for the cooperation and for bringing all the race weekends to a good end. We are taking small steps in the right direction and that is already earning us points. But do we already have enough space to fight for better, from the position we are in now? Probably not.

"That's what we need to work on," he admits after the performance of the team in the few races leading up to the break was maybe a reminder of the gap they still need to make up.

The RB team has faced significant challenges, especially a recent upgrade that didn't turn out as they expected it to.

The Barcelona upgrades failed dramatically to boost performance as anticipated. Mekies reflects on this:

"When we look at all the difficulties, the problems of the Barcelona upgrade come to the fore immediately. We had just had a few strong races and we were hoping to build on that, but it didn't work out at all in terms of performance."

Despite these issues, Mekies remains optimistic about the latter half of the season, despite the team taking a "painful" blow:

"It's very painful, but it's a necessary reminder. We will be fast and consistent, but we can only do that with a stronger base.

"It's good to experience these complicated and difficult moments together. Even if our competitors can suddenly get a lot closer, we can still feel that we have the possibility to fight back in the second half of the season."

While acknowledging the achievements of his team in terms of cohesion and effort—praising their "hard work, the constant energy and good atmosphere"—Mekies is clear-eyed about the realities of their situation. The team's approach reflects a painstaking but hopeful trajectory toward more robust competitiveness. The bigger picture shows a team fighting to find its footing, aware of the tremendous strides needed to climb the steep curve being exhibited by its close rivals.