Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies emphasized that the team will maintain its current strategy despite a challenging Mexico City Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen secured a podium finish. The result, though not a victory, kept Verstappen firmly in contention for his fifth Drivers’ Championship. Mekies stressed that the focus remains on performance improvement rather than reacting to championship standings. His remarks reflected calm confidence and a refusal to be swayed by short-term setbacks as the season approaches its final rounds.
Red Bull entered the Mexico weekend riding strong momentum, with Verstappen having won three of the previous four races and cutting a once 104-point deficit to Oscar Piastri down to just 40. However, the team found itself struggling for pace at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Verstappen qualified fourth and finished third, a result that, while modest by his standards, proved vital in keeping pressure on his title rivals. The Dutchman’s consistency ensured that he remained within 36 points of new championship leader Lando Norris.
Mekies made it clear that the team’s philosophy would not change. “We are not going to change our approach,” he said, pointing out that Red Bull had never let championship calculations dictate its race execution. He explained that the team’s energy is instead directed toward identifying and solving technical performance issues. The engineering staff in Milton Keynes were already analyzing data to improve for Brazil, Mekies said, underlining a long-term, disciplined mindset that prioritizes steady progress over reactive measures.
Strategically, Verstappen’s one-stop race was well managed. Starting on medium tyres, he switched to softs for the final stint and closed the gap to Charles Leclerc before a late Virtual Safety Car halted any chance of attack. Mekies admitted that such interruptions are inevitable in racing and acknowledged that Red Bull lacked the raw speed to match Norris on this occasion. The team’s setup left Verstappen without the balance or grip needed to push as aggressively as usual, a limitation Mekies said they must address before the next round.
Despite the disappointment, Mekies praised Norris and McLaren for their dominant performance, recognizing that Red Bull’s rivals had simply executed better in Mexico. He described the weekend as a valuable learning experience and reiterated confidence in the team’s capacity to rebound. “We’re aware of what we left on the table,” he said, “but we move forward with clarity.” For Red Bull, the Mexico City Grand Prix served not as a setback but as a reminder of the precision required to sustain championship-winning form.
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