Max Verstappen shares initial feelings over new Red Bull boss' reign

Max Verstappen has said he likes how new Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies "is working" early in his tenure at the Milton Keynes-based squad.

The Frenchman took over from Christian Horner following the British Grand Prix, becoming only the second person to lead the six-time constructors' champions since it joined F1 in 2005.

News of Horner's departure shook the motorsport world, but by the time the travelling circuit reached the Spa-Francorchamps paddock for the Belgian Grand Prix, the next round, it was business as usual.

Whilst there is likely considerable further change to come at Red Bull, there has been little initial movement, something that is to be expected with Mekies understandably wanting to get his feet underneath his desk before acting.

When it was put to Verstappen, who will stay through the end of 2026 after committing his immediate future to the team, that impending internal upheaval is to be expected, he explained that the team is unlikely to see the "benefit" of Mekies coming in this season.

"Yeah, absolutely, that's always the case," the Dutchman agreed when talking to media, including RacingNews365. "Of course, it's still very early days, but I do like how Laurent is working.

"Very motivated, constantly asking, I think, the right questions to me, but also, I think, to the team - it's nice to see.

"This year is very difficult to see any kind of benefit from that, but I hope in the coming year, two years, of course, that we can really see this touch to the team, and I'm very excited for that."

'Open-minded' Mekies

Those positive words from the four-time F1 drivers' champion came on the eve of Red Bull's "worst" weekend of the campaign, as Helmut Marko described it, at the Hungaroring.

Verstappen qualified a lowly eighth and finished ninth, taking a meagre two points with his F1 drivers' championship hopes dead in the water with standings leader Oscar Piastri 97 points ahead.

Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, started from the pit lane after qualifying P16, getting knocked out in Q1 for the fourth time in the past eight rounds. He finished P16 and has not scored a point since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen expanded on his relationship with Mekies and the job he is doing, only weeks removed from being promoted from Racing Bulls.

"Yeah, I mean, he's very open-minded," the 27-year-old said after the race on the outskirts of Budapest.

"Of course, it will only get better and better, the communication that we have, but it's been going really well."