Why Red Bull believes Max Verstappen is wrong to s...

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has rebuffed claims made by his world champion driver Max Verstappen that the group will fail to win once more within the 2025 Method 1 season.  

Verstappen mentioned on Saturday that “the best way issues are going proper now”, Crimson Bull is not going to add to the 2 grand prix victories it has this 12 months after qualifying a disappointing eighth in Hungary.  

He finally completed the Hungarian Grand Prix in ninth with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda seventeenth, maintaining Crimson Bull fourth within the championship, whereas McLaren as soon as once more dominated scoring its seventh 1-2 of 2025. 

However Mekies, for whom Hungary was just his second round as Red Bull boss, believes the Hungaroring was simply an outlier because the week earlier than Verstappen gained the Belgian Grand Prix dash.  

“It was a tricky weekend,” mentioned Mekies when Verstappen’s remark was put to him. “I do not suppose what you see this weekend represents the place the automotive is at. 

“We settle for the truth that we’re in all probability not very robust on tracks like right here, however what we’ve seen at present was excellent. 

“So, should you look, no query McLaren are sooner, however take a look at Spa, Max was in a position to battle actually on Saturday and shock everybody within the dash. So, let’s examine. 

“The season remains to be very lengthy. Even when automotive growth goes to closely decelerate or is just about going to be minimal any more, we nonetheless have lots of issues we will study, as this weekend confirmed. 

“And thru that, as tough and as uncomfortable as it’s, essentially you study by means of these kinds of weekends. So higher to have them early on. 

“We’ll study and if we’re in a position to extract a bit extra of the automotive, due to weekends like at present, then hopefully we will put up a greater battle.” 

All the Budapest weekend was a struggle for Red Bull, which didn’t even end a follow session above ninth – main Verstappen to say that “nothing works” on the RB21.  

However Crimson Bull advisor Helmut Marko additionally thinks the problems had been particular to the Hungary weekend, including “I don’t suppose it is going to occur once more” – a sentiment Mekies doubled down on, as high-speed circuits are the group’s power.   

“I am additionally fairly assured that it is a one-off,” Mekies added. “It is not going to change the truth that we’ve a slender window. 

“However I believe to be dramatically out of it like that, I am additionally fairly assured that with all of the assessments we have achieved this weekend, together with into the race, I am fairly assured additionally that will probably be a one-off. 

“And to Helmut’s level, it’s true that it was primarily a slow-speed and a mid-speed matter.  

“Subsequently, it factors in direction of extra tyre utilization and the tyre being switched on greater than our efficiency.”