Laurent Mekies must use the Christian Horner tactic that Martin Brundle hated to keep Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Follow us on Google Discover

New Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies joins the Anglo-Austrian outfit at a pivotal moment in their history.

The 2025 F1 season started with everyone wondering whether Max Verstappen could match Michael Schumacher’s record and win a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.

At the halfway stage of the campaign, that looks extremely unlikely.

Christian Horner has now departed the team after more than 20 years in charge, with Red Bull selecting Mekies as his successor.

Laurent Mekies has a wide-ranging CV, having previously worked for minnows Minardi, Red Bull’s rivals Ferrari and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, before joining Racing Bulls to reach this point.

He’ll be all too aware that one of the most critical parts of his job is convincing Verstappen not to leave Red Bull at the end of this year.

Mercedes are very interested in Verstappen, and it’s expected that the Dutchman will make a decision on his future during the upcoming summer break.

Horner and Verstappen’s camp didn’t have the strongest relationship, but there was one thing that the 51-year-old would do during a race weekend that Mekies simply has to copy to start their working relationship on the right foot.

Laurent Mekies must defend Max Verstappen like Christian Horner over racing incidents

Verstappen has always driven on the very edge of the rules implemented by F1’s stewards.

This season, he came perilously close to a one-race ban after accumulating 11 penalty points, following an incident where he drove into the side of George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix.

However, Horner was always very quick to defend his star driver, and even after that race, Verstappen apologised to Red Bull staff, but his explanation of what happened that day didn’t include any criticism of the four-time world champion.

One incident that comes to mind from last season was the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was going wheel-to-wheel with Lando Norris, and at the critical braking point where the Dutchman’s race was ended this season by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, they collided.

On the team radio after the incident, Verstappen was told: “Max [Verstappen], heads up, you were given a ten-second penalty for that incident with Lando [Norris]. Just in case you were quizzed about that after the race.”

He replied: “Of course, yep sure. That’s just ridiculous. You could just send it left or right, what do you want me to do?”

Red Bull came back to him and said: “Yeah, he didn’t behave correctly there, Max, so yeah, desperately unlucky, especially here, but you did your very best.”

One opponent of Horner’s approach to Verstappen’s action was Martin Brundle.

Brundle believed Red Bull damaged their credibility with their answer to Verstappen, and on commentary for Sky Sports that day, he said: “The trouble is if you’re like that, it’ll happen again, won’t it?

“I don’t agree with that.”

Brundle was also left upset by Verstappen’s radio message at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after he was penalised for spinning Oscar Piastri, but again, Horner made sure to stay on his star driver’s side.

How Red Bull can ‘guarantee’ Max Verstappen’s future beyond 2025

Red Bull know that Verstappen has a get-out clause in his contract that could allow him to leave for free at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old has been careful not to say anything about which way he’s leaning when it comes to deciding whether to stay or move on.

However, the choice could be taken out of his hands depending on how results go at the next two races.

Red Bull know what results Verstappen needs for his clause not to activate, and ironically, it’s the man he might replace at Mercedes, George Russell, who could have the biggest influence on his future.

Mekies needs to now give Verstappen every reason to want to stay at Red Bull, and having his close ally Helmut Marko alongside him will help.

He’ll hope Verstappen stays out of trouble at Spa, but will know exactly what to say if something does go wrong.