08/08/2025 13:50
Max Verstappen has said he likes how new Red Bull team principal
Laurent Mekies "is working" early in his tenure at the Milton
Keynes-based squad. The Frenchman took over from Christian Horner
following the British Grand Prix, becoming only the second person
to lead the six-time constructors' champions since it joined F1 in
2005. News of Horner's departure shook the motorsport world, but by
the time the travelling circuit reached the Spa-Francorchamps
paddock for the Belgian Grand Prix, the next round, it was business
as usual. Whilst there is likely considerable further change to
come at Red Bull, there has been little initial movement, something
that is to be expected with Mekies understandably wanting to get
his feet underneath his desk before acting. When it was put to
Verstappen, who will stay through the end of 2026 after committing
his immediate future to the team, that impending internal upheaval
is to be expected, he explained that the team is unlikely to see
the "benefit" of Mekies coming in this season. "Yeah, absolutely,
that's always the case," the Dutchman agreed when talking to media,
including RacingNews365 . "Of course, it's still very early days,
but I do like how Laurent is working. "Very motivated, constantly
asking, I think, the right questions to me, but also, I think, to
the team - it's nice to see. "This year is very difficult to see
any kind of benefit from that, but I hope in the coming year, two
years, of course, that we can really see this touch to the team,
and I'm very excited for that." 'Open-minded' Mekies Those positive
words from the four-time F1 drivers' champion came on the eve of
Red Bull's "worst" weekend of the campaign, as Helmut Marko
described it, at the Hungaroring. Verstappen qualified a lowly
eighth and finished ninth, taking a meagre two points with his F1
drivers' championship hopes dead in the water with standings leader
Oscar Piastri 97 points ahead. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, started
from the pit lane after qualifying P16, getting knocked out in Q1
for the fourth time in the past eight rounds. He finished P16 and
has not scored a point since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. After
the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen expanded on his relationship
with Mekies and the job he is doing, only weeks removed from being
promoted from Racing Bulls. "Yeah, I mean, he's very open-minded,"
the 27-year-old said after the race on the outskirts of Budapest.
"Of course, it will only get better and better, the communication
that we have, but it's been going really well."
