Brundle Reveals Horner's Monza Message as Mekies Praises Red Bull's Resilience

Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle has revealed a personal message from former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner following Max Verstappen's dominant Italian Grand Prix victory. Concurrently, his successor, Laurent Mekies, credited the team's resilience and strategic risk-taking for the impressive turnaround at Monza.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's Monza win was significant, marking his first since Horner's departure and a stark contrast to Red Bull's struggles at the same circuit a year prior. It highlights a successful strategic shift and a testament to the team's relentless efforts.

The Big Picture:

During the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Brundle disclosed Horner's text: "This was our worst race last year. We had the wrong downforce level," adding how hard the team worked on the package. This message underscored the continuity of effort within the team, even with the leadership change from Horner to Mekies, who joined from Racing Bulls.

For Laurent Mekies, the Monza success was a crucial moment to acknowledge the staff's hard work and perseverance.

• "You question everything and what is great in the team is that they kept an open mind," Mekies stated, referring to the team's tough start to the season.
• He emphasized that the victory was "giving them back the credit of many weeks, many months of hard work in the dark."

Learning From Setbacks:

The win was particularly remarkable given Red Bull's performance in Hungary, where Verstappen finished a disappointing seventh. Mekies admitted these earlier struggles were a result of deliberate gambles taken to understand the car's limitations.

• "We took risks to get to the maximum understanding possible of what has limited the project this year," Mekies explained.
• "We took risks in Budapest, and it was an extremely poor weekend... But we do that to learn. We are getting some payback today." While acknowledging Monza's unique track layout, Mekies confirmed the team gained valuable insights that will influence their approach in future races.

What's Next:

Monza provided strong evidence that Red Bull's internal questioning, difficult weekends, and behind-the-scenes sacrifices can yield significant rewards. The challenge now is to determine if this marks the beginning of a sustained fightback and continued strong performance throughout the season. Horner's acknowledgment from afar further solidifies the significance of this pivotal moment for the team.