10/10/2025 08:10
Max Verstappen has described Laurent Mekies as "too nice" after the
Red Bull team principal again described his input in the U-turn in
performance as "zero". Following a mid-season slump that resulted
in the departure of Christian Horner as team boss after 20 years at
the helm, after the British Grand Prix in July, Verstappen and Red
Bull have found another gear under Mekies, especially since the
summer break. Wins from pole position in Italy and Azerbaijan have
sandwiched second-placed finishes in Verstappen's home race in
Zandvoort, and most recently, the Singapore Grand Prix at the
weekend. Although still a long shot, Verstappen has a sniff of a
chance of securing a fifth consecutive drivers' championship. With
six grands prix and three sprints remaining, he trails championship
leader Oscar Piastri by 63 points and the Australian's McLaren
team-mate Lando Norris by 41. Following Verstappen's performance in
Singapore, Mekies insisted his contribution to Red Bull's progress
was "still zero", echoing his initial comment following the
Dutchman's victory at Monza. Asked about Mekies' remark, with
advisor Helmut Marko also insisting the Frenchman was "too humble",
Verstappen said: "Well, I think Laurent is probably being too
nice." Recognising his effort within the overall team framework,
Verstappen added: "At the end of the day, what is very good is that
we approach it as a proper team effort. "We have always tried to
look into the details, to understand what our weaknesses were.
Since a few races, it's definitely picked up a lot. "Maybe now it
[the car] was not as good as the last race weekend [in Azerbaijan],
but sometimes, you come out of a race a bit lost, not really
understanding why or how. "I think that now we understand why, or
how we can be better. By asking the right questions, including
Laurent being involved in that, it's working well."