Max Verstappen Credits Laurent Mekies for Red Bull's Setup Turnaround

Max Verstappen Credits Laurent Mekies for Red Bull's Setup Turnaround

Why it matters: Max Verstappen has revealed a significant shift in Red Bull Racing's approach to car setup, attributing their recent breakthrough and return to winning ways to the influence of Laurent Mekies. This marks a critical change after the team struggled with the RB21's handling, leaving Verstappen feeling "not in control" and leading to a period of uncertainty.

The big picture: Red Bull faced early-season challenges with the RB21's setup, leading to inconsistent performance, notably a disappointing showing at the Hungaroring. Despite securing victories, the team admitted they lacked a full appreciation of how to extract the most from the car. A crucial turning point emerged at the Italian Grand Prix, where the team introduced a floor upgrade and refined its setup philosophy, leading to Verstappen's third victory of the season.

The details:

• Verstappen explained that before Mekies' involvement, Red Bull made "quite extreme changes" to the car's setup, indicating a lack of fundamental understanding. "We were not fully understanding what to do," he stated.
• Mekies, with his strong engineering background, reportedly began "asking the right questions" to the engineers. This fostered a more effective problem-solving approach and moved the team away from