Max Verstappen makes candid 2025 Red Bull F1 car admission that will concern Laurent Mekies, ‘not what I like…’

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Max Verstappen has been battling a Red Bull car which has gradually lost performance over the last two seasons.

The Dutchman lies third in the drivers’ championship, and his hunt for a record-matching fifth consecutive triumph is almost certain to come up short.

Red Bull’s development has not been up to scratch, and they’ve left themselves chasing the eight ball ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations. They’ve lost momentum at a bad time.

After Verstappen’s commitment to them was confirmed for next season, they must now focus on turning the tide. Otherwise, their superstar driver could walk away altogether.

Verstappen issued a private warning to Red Bull and said that they needed to convince him that sacking ex-boss Christian Horner was the right decision for his team.

After battling with the RB21 for 13 races, Verstappen still faces the ‘Achilles heel’ of Red Bull despite recent upgrades. The balance of their car is just not very friendly.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff will ‘almost certainly’ take one Kimi Antonelli measure to keep a Mercedes seat open for Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen admits Red Bull’s 2025 F1 car is ‘not what I like’

Verstappen can’t ‘fool’ Laurent Mekies, his new team boss, as he has an engineering background and knows how to tailor a car to his drivers’ needs.

His latest comments may need to be addressed urgently, as they represent how poor a direction the team have taken their car in since the start of 2024.

Speaking to motoring journalist Chris Harris, Verstappen revealed how his current car is ‘not’ what he would like in order to go fast.

“Like I said, I just adapt to what I’ve got. It’s not what I like, it’s just what I have,” he said.

“I’ve got to try and drive to it, because that’s the fastest way to go around the track. It’s not what I personally would like. I would like different bits of the car.”

Verstappen is ‘feeling’ very positive about Mekies, and he’s going to need some patience for his influence to take effect on the team. If given proper time, they could be seriously strong in the future.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko details the surprise engine ‘issues’ Max Verstappen and Red Bull faced at the Belgian Grand Prix

Why did Max Verstappen opt against joining Mercedes for 2026?

Despite months of rumours, Verstappen joining Mercedes is now ‘out of the question’, Helmut Marko confirmed after the Belgian Grand Prix.

It would have been risky ahead of a new set of regulations to make such a crucial and daring switch, without knowing what the pecking order would be like at all.

Ralf Schumacher would send Kimi Antonelli to Alpine in order to create space to sign the reigning champion, but that would also need his cooperation.

Now that he can no longer enter the summer break lower than third in the drivers’ standings, he would not have the option of activating an exit clause. He would need to be bought out of his deal.