Laurent Mekies will love how Max Verstappen is now feeling at Red Bull since his arrival

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Red Bull have returned to form courtesy of Max Verstappen after he dominated the Italian Grand Prix for his third win of 2025.

The Dutchman took a stunning pole position from Lando Norris, setting the fastest lap in Formula 1 history. After briefly losing the lead to the McLaren driver by running wide at turn one and giving back the position, Verstappen found a way back past and shot off into the distance.

Winning the Italian Grand Prix by over 19 seconds, the four-time champion broke Michael Schumacher’s record for the fastest F1 race. It also marked Red Bull’s first win under Laurent Mekies, not including Sprints, since he replaced Christian Horner back in July.

The mood at Red Bull before Horner’s dismissal was tense as they had clearly regressed in development and performance. The team were facing pressure to deliver results as Verstappen was being linked with Mercedes for 2026.

Mekies gave Verstappen a ‘declaration of love’ upon his arrival from Racing Bulls, which played a part in convincing him to stay for next season. The Frenchman’s new approach in Milton Keynes now seems to be doing the trick.

Laurent Mekies has given Max Verstappen a ‘real desire’ to push forward with Red Bull again

Helmut Marko says Red Bull are using more ‘common sense’ since Mekies joined the team, as he is focused on the technical side of the operation. They were heavily reliant on data from the simulator, but its numbers have proved misleading, resulting in poor performance on Fridays.

Verstappen felt he was being ignored by the team about his concerns with the car and the direction Red Bull were taking with development. While he is now out of the 2025 title fight, by his own admission, his win at Monza is a step in the right direction.

Journalist Ralf Bach says Verstappen is ‘relaxed’ at Red Bull after months of turmoil under Horner’s reign. He now has a ‘real desire’ to push forward with the team again, which will delight Mekies amid speculation that he could have looked to move on.

Bach said via F1-Insider: “It’s an interesting approach. As far as Red Bull is concerned, there is a real building mood in a completely different approach from Laurent Mekies, which is also being noticed by the number one driver Verstappen.

“That’s why he’s relaxed and suddenly has a real desire to move forward with the team again. You notice that, and as I said, Mekies is not someone who has a huge comet tail of Netflix people behind him, like Christian Horner, or for example, Toto Wolff every now and then.

“He is a technocrat who thinks purely logically and purely from a sporting perspective and who doesn’t really care about anything else, even if he shouldn’t be, because Formula 1 is also marketing and sponsors have to be worshipped and so on.

“But it is an interesting approach and maybe this is the future.”

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

Max Verstappen is regaining confidence at Red Bull – Laurent Mekies must keep it up

Martin Brundle noticed Verstappen was more ‘animated’ with his victory celebrations at Monza. It suggests that the Dutchman is finding his feet again at Red Bull and that he is encouraged by the team’s operation.

It was telling that technical director Pierre Wache stood on the podium at Monza, as he has led the development of the RB21 this season and its improvements since Zandvoort. Verstappen has been critical of Wache in the past – he may now have more faith in him.

This is crucial for Red Bull heading into the 2026 technical regulations, when they will become an engine manufacturer. The team have to prove that they will have a competitive car next season, or risk losing Verstappen in 2027 through exit clauses in his contract.

Mekies has brought ‘laughter’ back to Red Bull and has the team heading in the right direction with his new approach. Verstappen seems keen to work alongside him, but they must show that Monza was not a one-off result.