Helmut Marko lauds what Laurent Mekies has brought back to Red Bull since Christian Horner’s exit

Follow us on Google Discover

Laurent Mekies enjoyed his first victory as Red Bull Racing team principal at the Italian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was in unstoppable form, setting the fastest lap in the history of Formula 1 in qualifying to take pole position, before a record-breaking race performance on Sunday.

Verstappen’s race time at the Italian Grand Prix of 1:13:24.325 broke Michael Schumacher’s record for the fastest race in F1 history, and earned him 25 more points to cement third place in the drivers’ championship.

The Dutchman is too far behind McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to be in contention for winning a fifth consecutive title, but it will give Red Bull hope that they’re moving in the right direction.

Red Bull made an unexpected change earlier in the season by sacking Christian Horner and replacing him with Laurent Mekies.

Mekies saw Verstappen take pole position at Spa during his first race in charge, before a disastrous weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix for the team.

Now, chief advisor Helmut Marko has detailed what’s changed behind the scenes at Red Bull since Horner’s exit.

It sounds like things weren’t particularly pleasant at their Milton Keynes base before he was dismissed, judging by his comments.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Helmut Marko says ‘laughing’ has returned to Red Bull after Christian Horner’s sacking

Marko was asked by the German outlet BILD whether Red Bull’s success at the Italian Grand Prix was down to a change in leadership.

He responded and said: “You bet! We’re laughing again! The old Red Bull spirit is back!”

Dutch publication De Limburger provided more details after the chequered flag.

It was suggested that the atmosphere in Red Bull’s hospitality was ‘fantastic’ after Verstappen’s victory.

That’s despite Yuki Tsunoda once again failing to add to his points tally despite starting in the top 10 at Monza, thanks in part to an unnecessary collision with Liam Lawson.

Speaking again after the race, Marko explained: “See? There’s laughter again at Red Bull,” in reference to the previous Horner era.

“The Red Bull spirit is back. With Laurent, we’re on the right track. We’re going to win even more races this year.

“Zandvoort went reasonably well for a high-downforce track, and our car simply performs better on high-speed circuits.

“We also have a good chance in Baku, just like in Abu Dhabi. Do I believe in a world title again? No, not at all. We’re not dreamers.”

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

Laurent Mekies suggests Max Verstappen ‘redefined what perfection is’ at the Italian Grand Prix

Verstappen praised a ‘common sense’ change Mekies has made at Red Bull during the race weekend, and appears to be enjoying working alongside someone with an engineering background.

It was telling that Red Bull sent Pierre Wache onto the podium at Monza, despite the technical chief having been under pressure within the team earlier in the season because the car was so uncompetitive.

Speaking in his official post-race interview, Mekies explained: “My first thought is for everybody in Milton Keynes, it has been a difficult season for the team so far, and this win is something they have deserved for a while.

“It looked like McLaren would be running an advantage in pretty much every single race, but everyone has been amazing, to keep exploring and pushing the boundaries of this car, and it is great today to be on the top step.

“There is a special team behind this win, doing all the hard work to enable us to have a fast car today, and everyone at the track then executed it in an unbelievable way.

“Max redefined what perfection is today, and this weekend in general.”

Verstappen has eight more opportunities to disrupt McLaren’s dominance of the 2025 campaign.

He may not be in title contention this year, but Red Bull once again look set to threaten at the front of the grid for the rest of the season.