Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies praised Max Verstappen for delivering an extraordinary drive at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, describing his third-place finish from the pit lane as “as sensational as last year.” Despite starting at the back after setup overhauls, Verstappen powered through the field to secure a podium.
The four-time World Champion experienced a rare off-weekend in Brazil. For the first time in his Formula 1 career, Verstappen couldn’t progress beyond Q1 purely on pace. Overnight, Red Bull opted for bold suspension changes and installed a fresh power unit — decisions that required him to start from the pit lane for Sunday’s 71-lap showdown.
A Risk That Red Bull Knew Was Worth Taking
An early puncture during the Virtual Safety Car period forced Verstappen into the pits after just seven laps. But from there, the Dutch driver delivered a brilliant charge, closing in on Kimi Antonelli for second place and finishing just 10 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris.
“Credit to Max for the sensational drive,” said Mekies. “He won last year here from P17 on the wet, and I think we would probably agree that it was as sensational as last year to bring it to P3 from the pit lane on a dry, relatively uneventful race.”
Mekies revealed that the team wasn’t content with how the car performed during the Sprint race, prompting a high-stakes setup gamble.
“The simple truth is that we were not happy with where the car was in terms of car balance and driver’s feeling after the Sprint race.
We had finished P4 [in the Sprint], but it was effectively a P5 without Oscar [Piastri’s] stoppage, and nobody wanted to settle for a car that would have been at that level.”
Red Bull took a daring approach before qualifying — a move that didn’t pay off but reflected their racing philosophy.
“We felt the optimum [set-up] windows were not where we were. Tried our only car at that moment to change it before the main Qualifying. We obviously got it wrong, but it’s the way we go racing.
We take risks, and if we don’t take that amount of risks, we don’t think we’ll be able to win. So we took that risk. It didn’t work.
It’s painful. We got the Quali wrong, and that’s what it is. But again, we have taken a lot of these risks in the past few months. I insist it is the way this team goes racing. That’s the spirit in our current racing. We had our highs and lows.
The car was alive today. That’s the most important thing. The car was probably good enough to fight for the win today.”
Focus Shifts Toward Las Vegas Grand Prix
With only three Grands Prix and one Sprint race left, Verstappen now trails Lando Norris by 49 points in the Drivers’ Championship. However, Mekies clarified that the team is prioritizing car optimization rather than title pressure.
“The simple truth is, the focus is how can we maximise our chance to get the car in the ‘alive’ window for Las Vegas. The rest is a consequence,” he added.
“So, nobody is thinking about either championship; we are just thinking about what do we do with the Las Vegas constraints.
We know it’s very different, very, very low downforce, extremely cold windows for the tyres. How do we get the car to perform there, and then the rest is a consequence.”
Mekies’ comments highlight Red Bull’s commitment to risk-taking and performance innovation — a strategy that has defined Verstappen’s dominant run in recent seasons. The team now sets its sights on the Las Vegas GP, hoping to rediscover the winning balance.
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