Laurent Mekies has made Max Verstappen feel ‘very comfortable’ at Red Bull after Toto Wolff pursuit

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Toto Wolff was first in line to contact Max Verstappen after hearing about his frustrations at Red Bull last year, and F1 paddock insiders have noticed how Laurent Mekies has sought to make the four-time world champion much more ‘comfortable’ in response.

Red Bull were in a period of stark change amid Max Verstappen’s restlessness in Milton Keynes last season.

Christian Horner had just been given his marching orders, and Toto Wolff was vying to snatch the Austrian constructor’s flag-bearer away from them.

Wolff has been on the hunt for Verstappen’s signature since before the Dutchman had even stepped into the cockpit of an F1 car, and the chances of the Silver Arrows acquiring their former arch-nemesis were a genuine concern for Red Bull.

In the end, Verstappen backed down after announcing his intentions to see out the rest of his contract for the six-time constructors’ champions, and Wolff had missed his window once again.

Laurent Mekies was understood to be a leading factor in Verstappen’s relent. The Frenchman imposed a completely different way of working upon his appointment last July, and offered the four-time world champion a shot at a fifth title in the second half of the 2025 season.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen ‘pushing hard’ behind the scenes for 2026 F1 rule change after the Australian GP

What do you expect from Max Verstappen in the 2026 F1 season?

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Red Bull have ‘a completely different vibe’ in the 2026 F1 season

In a recent episode of De Telegraaf’s F1 podcast, Dutch journalist Erik van Haren detailed how he felt a “different vibe” within the Red Bull set-up at the Australian Grand Prix compared to last year.

“Speaking of atmosphere, you really notice a completely different vibe at Red Bull,” van Haren told co-host and former F1 driver, Christijan Albers. “There have been quite a few personnel changes during the winter.

“Some people have been let go, to put it politely. You notice it. It’s much less… Of course, many mechanics and engineers are still English, but apart from Red Bull’s management, there is more involvement from Austria.

“You also immediately notice that there are far fewer English journalists. Laurent is, of course, a different type than Horner, who spoke much more to the media, especially with the British, and always played politics a little.

“Mekies does that much less. You see him much less, because he’s much more involved with the engineers or in the garage.”

Following Horner’s sacking, it emerged that Red Bull engineers were suffering from a ‘leadership void’ inside the team’s garages. Mekies’ way of working has seemingly combated the negative effects of it.

“He’s a very different engineer by origin,” van Haren added. “And you notice that Verstappen feels very comfortable in the team in that respect.

“I think that’s a very good sign. Because otherwise, if this had been a year ago, if we had had this situation now, we would have thought, well, Toto is coming. And I don’t have that feeling at all right now.

“It’s also very important that your environment is good and healthy. Of course, performance is important. But you can see that he’s in the right place in that respect.”

• READ MORE: Many Red Bull staff are convinced that Max Verstappen will ‘step away’ from F1 before his deal ends

What can F1 do to regain Max Verstappen’s approval?

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Max Verstappen continues to hint at an early F1 exit due to his frustrations with the new regulations

Despite Mekies’ efforts to make the four-time world champion as happy as possible, external factors still threaten Red Bull’s hold over Verstappen.

In particular, the 2026 F1 regulations have rubbed the Dutchman the wrong way. Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the new rules and has refused to portray the current direction of F1 in a positive light.

Verstappen has previously made it clear that he will call it quits in F1 once he isn’t enjoying the sport anymore, and that seems to have come a lot sooner than expected.

Red Bull bosses were hoping for Verstappen to sign an extension before his frustrations were realised, but it may prove to be a lot harder to secure his signature in the current landscape.