Max Verstappen and Laurent Mekies pay important Red Bull visit

On Sunday, Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix; on Tuesday, he drove in a test day at Monza, and on Thursday, he was paying a special visit to the engine department in Milton Keynes.

There, he was joined by team principal Laurent Mekies and advisor Helmut Marko, who joined him on a tour of the facility by technical director Ben Hodgkinson, the man behind the Red Bull Ford Powertrains project, as the F1 team develops its own engine for 2026 for the first time in its history.

Even though the four-time F1 champion will be in action at the Nordschleife this weekend for his GT racing debut, Verstappen took time out of his schedule to visit. He also personally attended the debrief of the Italian GP with the team.

The joint appearance of Verstappen and the Red Bull management underscores the increased unanimity within the organisation, with confidence growing toward the final stage of the season.

For 2026, however, there remains uncertainty. As with all of the F1 teams, the question is how the new engines will compare with the competition.

In the past, there were rumours that Red Bull Powertrains was lagging, but those noises have subsided in recent months. Only during the first test in January will it become clear where it really stands.

Until then, the engine department continues to work hard to develop a PU it hopes will maintain its success in the future.

The visit by Verstappen, Mekies and Marko will at least provide the employees in the engine department with extra motivation to compete with their major rivals.