Red Bull’s Focus on Max Verstappen
Laurent Mekies, the head of Red Bull, has stated that the team’s total focus is on Max Verstappen, both in the present and in the future of the Red Bull team. This statement comes at a crucial moment in the season, with the four-time world champion drastically reducing the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren.
A Shift in Momentum
Four stages ago, Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri. However, after his victory in the US Grand Prix, the gap has narrowed to just 40 points. This performance has rekindled the team’s hopes of winning their fifth consecutive drivers’ championship title. Mekies emphasized the unity between the driver, the car, and the team, saying, “We do not separate Max, the car, and the team. It’s a single group, and as we usually say, Max is not outside the project, just observing.”
Red Bull’s Strategy
The team’s favorable moment, with three wins in four races, has created the perception that Verstappen and Red Bull are in a privileged position to overtake McLaren in the title dispute. However, Mekies downplayed the favorites’ tag, stating, “We don’t feel that we are in a dominant position, but we certainly feel that we have canceled out a large part of the deficit we had in the first part of the season.” He added, “Now everything comes down to the last details, but don’t get me wrong, even on a weekend like this, there will be things we can learn, things we didn’t get quite right. And that’s where our focus is, that’s where our intensity is: analyzing our data and challenging each other, because that’s what we do, and leaving the car in the best possible shape for Mexico.”
Yuki Tsunoda’s Role
Red Bull also expects Yuki Tsunoda to contribute to the team’s efforts in the final stretch of the season. Mekies believes that the Japanese driver can play an important role in both the constructors’ championship and the development of the car. “I think there is a role for Yuki. First, because there is still a dispute for the constructors’ championship, obviously not for the win, but for those positions. So, we need Yuki to score points.” He further explained, “And second, the faster Yuki is, the more we can divide the tests between the cars. We’ve told you several times this weekend: we test this with one car, we test that with the other car. Therefore, it’s essential for us to have a very fast Yuki. And in terms of sporting situations, track disputes, and strategy, it’s also possible that, with Yuki doing well, we can at some point be in a position where we fight two against two.”
