Mekies Minimizes Merit in Red Bull’s Resurgence: Verstappen Highlights Impact

Mekies remains humble in the face of Red Bull’s improvement, Verstappen praises his impact

Red Bull’s boss, Laurent Mekies, continues to downplay his role in the team’s remarkable improvement, a stance that, according to Max Verstappen, is “too modest.” Since Mekies took office in July, Red Bull’s performance has experienced a significant change. Verstappen achieved a podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break, followed by consecutive victories in Monza and Baku, and secured second place at the Singapore Grand Prix.

I still have nothing to do with it, guys. I still have nothing to do with it,” he told reporters on Sunday night when asked if he would reconsider the credit that can now be attributed to him. “And I say it with the same seriousness that I told you after Monza.

Laurent Mekies

Mekies, when questioned about his impact since taking over the leadership, maintained his position.

The improvement in performance is mainly due to the collective effort to analyze the limitations of the car race after race. They focused on identifying what prevented exploiting the car’s potential and how to add performance to improve lap times. This work, with Max’s clear contributions, is bearing fruit, which is positive. This confirms that they have the best possible team and will continue to work tirelessly. The team will approach each race with the goal of identifying new areas for improvement. The change of direction has led McLaren to consider Verstappen as a real threat to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the fight for the drivers’ championship, with the current champion 63 points behind the leader with six races remaining. Verstappen has already praised Mekies for his work since he was promoted from his previous position as head of the Red Bull junior team, Racing Bulls. Mekies, with an engineering background, has brought a more sensible approach to the car setup, according to Verstappen after the Italian Grand Prix.

“I think Laurent is probably too modest in that sense,” Verstappen said on Sunday night when informed of Mekies’ comments.

Max Verstappen

Verstappen emphasized that the success is due to the team’s joint effort, analyzing the details and weaknesses. He acknowledged that, while not always perfect, the team has improved in understanding the aspects that can be optimized, thanks to the right questions, including Laurent’s participation, which has generated positive results.