Jos Verstappen reveals the biggest change he’s seen at Red Bull since Christian Horner sacking

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Jos Verstappen was involved in a long-running feud with Christian Horner when the latter was running Red Bull. And he loves how the team has changed since Laurent Mekies took over.

Red Bull have been F1’s form team since the summer break. While Max Verstappen was no match for the McLarens at Zandvoort – he only inherited P2 because of Lando Norris’ retirement – he dominated the Monza and Baku weekends.

This has led to whispers that the world championship may be back within reach. Horner signed off the upgrades that have propelled Red Bull forward, but Verstappen told Racexpress that Mekies still deserves credit.

The Frenchman has been widely praised for implementing new methods at Milton Keynes. There is, above all, a greater reliance on driver feedback, which may reflect Mekies’ background as a race engineer.

Jos Verstappen says Red Bull are ‘laughing again’ under Laurent Mekies

In addition to ‘finding something’ with the RB21, Verstappen says Red Bull have discovered their optimism. He sees a team where ‘everyone’s laughing again’.

Mekies’ ‘cheerful and friendly’ energy may have transmitted to the rest of his employees. Many at Red Bull still love Horner, but his replacement’s impact has been impressive given the daunting task he faced.

It’s difficult not to read Verstappen Sr’s comments as a slight dig at Horner, with the Dutchman noting the significant ‘turnaround’ from the previous regime.

“They clearly found something in Monza and they’ve continued that in Baku,” he said. “We’ll see what the future holds, but they’re very happy, and that’s great to see. This is definitely something they’ve found with the car. The atmosphere in the team is good, and everyone’s laughing again.

“Of course, the results help. But it’s great to see that Mekies is getting things right so quickly. He’s cheerful and friendly, so it’s nice to see such a turnaround.”

What Jos Verstappen said to Christian Horner just before he was sacked

Jos Verstappen was spotted clashing with Horner in the Red Bull garage after the British GP in July, which proved to be the Briton’s last race in charge. The team’s superstar driver had fallen from pole to fifth in the race.

A report afterwards revealed that Verstappen Sr had vowed to ‘keep the pressure on’ Horner at the end of that conversation. The driver’s camp have since denied any involvement in the decision.

It should also be noted that former F1 driver Verstappen ‘respected’ what Horner achieved, according to Craig Slater. He wasn’t exactly ‘dancing’ after he was dismissed.

However, it’s been suggested that Max Verstappen is unlikely to work with Horner again due to the divisions that were exposed at Red Bull. Should the 51-year-old join Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll may no longer be able to sign the world champion.