F1 fans are divided about Laurent Mekies’ instant impact at Red Bull following Max Verstappen’s Belgian GP Sprint win

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Max Verstappen secured the first win of Red Bull’s new era with Laurent Mekies at the helm in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint race.

Verstappen was under pressure from Oscar Piastri for the entirety of the Sprint race after overtaking him on the opening lap. The reigning world champion then had to fend off attacks from the current championship leader in the closing laps of the race.

Martin Brundle noted one ‘incredible’ advantage Verstappen had over Piastri, which was the much greater amount of speed he could carry through the faster corners on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The win marks Verstappen’s first Sprint race triumph of the season, a stark contrast to the four victories he took on Saturdays throughout the 2024 season.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

F1 fans think Max Verstappen is crucial to Laurent Mekies getting off to a winning start

F1 fans took to X following the fall of the chequered flag to voice their opinions on Verstappen’s crucial role in Laurent Mekies getting off to the best possible start in his first race as Red Bull team principal.

Many fans congratulated the Frenchman on his 100% win record with the team, albeit this being his first race as the team principal of Red Bull. One user wrote, “A great start to Laurent Mekies’ career at Red Bull Racing!”

Another fan noted the effect that the result would have had on Mekies due to the noise surrounding his appointment, posting, “It will be a relief to start off with a win”.

Other fans believe Mekies’ role in the win was close to non-existent, with one fan feeling like Mekies’ job is much easier when he has a driver like Verstappen, writing, “[Mekies’] job is so easy with Max on the team”.

Another congratulated the new team principal, but added, “Made easy by Max.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies

Laurent Mekies praised Max Verstappen for ‘extracting everything out of the car’ in Belgian GP Sprint

Mekies lauded Verstappen’s performance after the chequered flag when speaking to Ted Kravitz in the pit lane, stating, “The guys did a very good job, Max was under massive pressure for all of those 15 laps and he didn’t do one single mistake.

“Him and the team have extracted everything out of the car. We probably didn’t have the fastest car today, but we managed to stay there and manage our tyres.”

It’s a great start to the Verstappen/Mekies partnership. It has been previously noted that Mekies ‘excels’ at translating driver feedback due to his experience as a race engineer, something Verstappen complained about under Horner’s leadership.

Mekies’ experience in an F1 garage follows a recent trend in F1 that has seen teams appoint team principals with an engineering background. It seems to have become a rather successful blueprint, with McLaren’s current form with Andrea Stella at the reins a prime example.