From "paper car" to back-to-back wins: how Red Bull turned 2026 around

On the Saturday at Monza, Max Verstappen qualified sixth, heard team principal Laurent Mekies apologise over the radio for a messy final run, and replied that his Red Bull was made of paper. Five weeks later he has won two grands prix in a row and a sprint, all from pole. How did that happen, and what does it mean for 2027?

A season of strange things

It is easy to forget how bad it was. In China and Japan, Red Bull were scrapping with Haas and Alpine. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen asked out loud whether driving under the new rules was even worth it. He retired in China, Monaco, Silverstone and Zandvoort, four non-finishes in the first 12 rounds, and his description of the early car is hard to beat: "At the start of the season, I really had weekends where I would turn the steering wheel and strange things would happen."

The "paper car" line was not really about pace. Verstappen told Dutch media that parts at the rear of the RB22 kept breaking or sticking, leaving the car bouncing over kerbs and bumps. "We sometimes have components on the car that either break or get stuck," he said. "I've had that feeling quite often throughout the season." His mood that weekend was bleak: "I'm not even surprised by it anymore. Almost every weekend something goes wrong throughout the season." He still finished third on the Sunday.

Baku: the package that worked

The turn came in Azerbaijan. Red Bull took what it says is its last significant upgrade of the year to Baku, with new floor, diffuser, sidepods, mirrors and halo parts aimed at more downforce, according to Motorsport.com. Verstappen finished second, 0.196 seconds behind George Russell, whose Mercedes had lost turbo power on the final lap.

Then came the Asian double. At Sepang he took his first pole of 2026 and, after a start delayed by rain and a software fault that left several cars crawling on the formation lap, won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia by 2.3 seconds from Kimi Antonelli. It was the first win for Red Bull's own in-house power unit. A week later he took both poles in Singapore and won the sprint and the grand prix, at the one track on the calendar where he had never won, apart from the brand-new Madring. Add third at Monza and second in Madrid, and that is five straight podiums since he crashed out at Zandvoort.

What Red Bull say changed

Verstappen's explanation is driveability. "Our car has taken a really nice step forward. It's just been more driveable and more predictable," he said after Singapore. "That's what I wanted and needed from the car to find that last step to fight up front."

Mekies points at his driver. "His technical sensitivity is outstanding, probably without any equivalent," he said, explaining that Verstappen can pinpoint what is limiting the car even when the team cannot fix it straight away. His summary of the last three rounds was blunt: "For the first time this season in these three races, we had ultimate pace."

The rivals have noticed. "You need to take your hat off for what Red Bull has done this season, how they have developed the car and how it's all come together as a package," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Ferrari's Fred Vasseur is less impressed. "Honestly, they are doing very well, but it's not the team to beat," he said, arguing that Singapore was settled at Turn 1.

Life after Horner

This is Red Bull's first full season without Christian Horner, sacked after the 2025 British Grand Prix after 20 years in charge, with Mekies stepping up from Racing Bulls to replace him. BBC Sport's account is that the team's bosses concluded the slump could not be arrested under Horner. Verstappen, who won all four of his titles with Horner at the helm, prefers the calmer mood. "It is less stressful," he told the Press Association. "We are all leading a stressful life and, when you can take a bit of stress out of it at times, it is good."

The rebuild has not been painless. "Some people have left, new people have come in," Verstappen told the BBC in September, and he signed a contract extension anyway. "You cannot be the captain of the ship and as soon as there is something not working, you jump off the ship." More change is coming. His long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is heading to McLaren, and Red Bull have told Autosport that Tom Hart will engineer Verstappen in Austin, Brazil and Las Vegas.

What it means for 2027

Nobody at Red Bull pretends this changes 2026. Verstappen is fourth, 119 points behind Antonelli, and says finishing second, third or fourth "doesn't do anything" for him. The team is fourth in the constructors' table, seven points behind McLaren. Mekies has confirmed "there will be no other substantial upgrade to the car" this year and warned that the pecking order "could well very rapidly change" if rivals bring new parts. Starts are still a weakness, too.

The bigger story is correlation, the thing that has tripped Red Bull up more than once. Horner used to call the old wind tunnel "a Cold War relic". This year, Verstappen says, "everything we've introduced on the car this year has worked", and a new tunnel should be running early in 2027, possibly in February, according to technical director Pierre Waché. Verstappen is not getting carried away: "if we really want to compete, we need to make a much bigger step. And that applies to everything: the car, the power unit, everything." Wolff is already braced: "next year it's full on the fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that."

Our verdictSceptics will say Red Bull's late-season revivals are nothing new, and that Mercedes have simply lost their way with an upgrade. There is something in that. But a team that lost its long-time boss and saw senior figures walk out has built a car whose upgrades all worked, around an engine it designed itself. Put Verstappen in that and Red Bull start 2027 as Mercedes' biggest threat, and as favourites if the new wind tunnel delivers. Bold call: Verstappen wins again before Abu Dhabi and finishes 2026 second in the standings.

Sources: Autosport, Verstappen's "car made out of paper" comment explained, From "paper car" to pole, Verstappen and Hadjar on 2027, Bahrain GP in Malaysia report, the hidden factor for 2027 and Lambiase's successor; Motorsport.com, Wolff praises Red Bull and Vasseur "not sure"; Formula1.com, Mekies hails Verstappen and Wolff wary of Red Bull; BBC Sport, Verstappen interview, Bahrain GP in Malaysia report, Singapore reaction, Singapore driver ratings and F1 Q&A, 29 September; Sky Sports, Horner sacked; Press Association interview via Express & Star; Jolpica-F1 results and standings. Facts as reported up to 13 October 2026; opinions are ours. See all headlines on the wire →