The dawn of a new era for Red Bull Racing was supposed to be a symphony of roaring engines and shattered lap times. Instead, the team’s crucial shakedown in Barcelona ended with the silence of a garage in lockdown and the frantic screech of power tools.
On a week marked by history—the first-ever on-track appearance of the RB22 powered by Red Bull’s own, in-house developed power unit—triumph and tribulation collided in spectacular fashion. What began as a celebration of engineering independence from the Milton Keynes factory quickly turned into a race against time following a significant on-track accident involving junior driver Isack Hadjar.
In an exclusive reaction interview, Laurent Mekies, overseeing the operation, opened up about the rollercoaster of emotions that has gripped the team over the last 48 hours. From the “special atmosphere” of Monday morning to the “tricky conditions” that caught them out on Tuesday, the test has proven to be a brutal reminder of Formula 1’s unforgiving nature.
A Historic Milestone: The Birth of the RB22
To understand the weight of the accident, one must first understand the stakes. This wasn’t just another winter test. This was the moment Red Bull had been building toward for years. For the first time, the chassis and the power unit were both born from the same campus in Milton Keynes.
“We knew it would be a very special moment to be here for the first time with RB22 with our own power unit,” Mekies stated, his voice reflecting the gravity of the achievement. “The last few months and weeks have been incredibly hectic to be ready.”
Monday, the first day of running, was described as nearly flawless. The car rolled out at “a few minutes past nine,” a testament to the sleepless nights of hundreds of engineers. For a team taking control of its own destiny with a bespoke engine in the new 2026 regulatory cycle, simply leaving the garage was a victory. Mekies couldn’t hide his pride, offering a “big thank you” to the chassis and power unit departments. “It was incredible to see the car going out,” he admitted.
Max Verstappen, the team’s talisman, took the wheel initially, providing the first crucial feedback on the new package. According to Mekies, Monday yielded “quite a few laps” and was a “positive day,” allowing the team to start the complex process of learning the new systems. The marriage between the new Red Bull Powertrains unit and the RB22 chassis seemed to be in a honeymoon phase.
The Weather Turns: A Gamble in the Rain
However, Formula 1 never allows for complacency. Tuesday brought the chaotic “classic January Barcelona weather”—a mix of cold temperatures and unpredictable rain.
The team managed a single run on dry tires with Verstappen in the morning before the heavens opened. In the modern era of limited testing, every second counts. Most teams might have parked the car to preserve parts, especially with a brand-new, experimental machine. But Red Bull, driven by the need to gather data on the new regulations, chose to push on.
“It’s part of the game,” Mekies explained, defending the decision to run in the wet. “We felt anyway that it was interesting to run in the rain also with these regulations… everything is new and we knew we would have a lot of work to do.”
It was a calculated risk. And unfortunately, the odds didn’t favor them.
The Crash: “Didn’t End in the Right Way”
In the afternoon, the keys to the RB22 were handed over to Isack Hadjar. The young Frenchman, a standout talent in the Red Bull Junior Team, was tasked with navigating the treacherous surface to gather wet-weather data.
It was a massive responsibility: driving a prototype car that represents the future of the franchise, in conditions that would challenge even a veteran.
Mekies was diplomatic but clear about the outcome. “No chance for dry tires… unfortunately [it] didn’t end up in the right way.”
Hadjar suffered an accident that brought the session to a premature and abrupt halt. While Mekies did not elaborate on the specific mechanics of the crash, the implications were immediately felt throughout the paddock. The sight of a covered car returning on a flatbed is the nightmare of every test team.
Crucially, Mekies confirmed the most important detail first: “What is important is that Isack is okay.”
However, the car itself is a different story. The team is now facing a long night of damage assessment. “The priority right now as we speak tonight is to assess the damage on the car… to see what does it give to us in terms of opportunities to run in the next day.”
The Pressure Cooker
The timing of the crash could not be worse. With only one day left in this specific shakedown window, the team is staring down the barrel of a lost opportunity. In the world of 2026 regulations, data is gold. Losing a full day of running—or being forced to run a compromised program—could set the team back weeks in their development cycle.
Mekies acknowledged the mountain they still have to climb. “The checklist is too long to be completed in just a few days… it’s always going to be a matter of priority.”
Now, that priority has shifted from performance optimization to survival and repair. The “flexible” approach Mekies mentioned is now being tested to its limit. The mechanics, already exhausted from the “hectic” lead-up to the test, now face a marathon repair job to get the RB22 ready for Wednesday.
A Test of Spirit
Despite the setback, the mood within the camp remains resilient. Mekies highlighted the “great energy” and “great spirits” between Verstappen, Hadjar, and the team. There is a sense that this is merely a stumbling block on a much longer journey.
“These sort of things can happen,” Mekies shrugged, a veteran of the sport who knows that carbon fiber can be fixed, but confidence is harder to rebuild. He emphasized that the difficulties came after a “very, very positive day,” urging the team to look at the bigger picture.
The crash serves as a stark reality check for the Red Bull Powertrains project. The “size of the journey” remains immense. Building a winning chassis is one thing; building a winning engine and integrating it seamlessly while navigating on-track incidents is another challenge entirely.
What Comes Next?
As night falls over the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the lights in the Red Bull garage will likely burn until dawn. The team has “one day left” to salvage the test.
Will the RB22 emerge from the garage tomorrow? Will Isack Hadjar get a chance to redeem himself, or will Max Verstappen step in to maximize the final hours?
“We have to make sure we play that card carefully,” Mekies warned. The analysis will take hours, but the clock is ticking.
For a team used to dominance, this shakedown has been a humble reminder that in Formula 1, you are only as good as your last lap—and your last spare part. The “monumental effort” to get here was just the prologue. The real story of the RB22 is being written now, in the frantic efforts of a team refusing to let a wet afternoon in Barcelona derail their future.
The world watches and waits. The engine is theirs. The car is theirs. And now, the challenge of bouncing back is entirely theirs too.