Red Bull's New Friday Approach, Inspired by McLaren, Key to Verstappen's Monza Win

Red Bull Adopts McLaren's Aggressive Friday Strategy, Fuels Verstappen's Italian GP Victory

Christijan Albers suggests Red Bull's dominant Italian Grand Prix victory, with Max Verstappen securing pole position and the win, directly stems from a new Friday practice philosophy introduced by team principal Laurent Mekies. This approach, which involves pushing the car closer to its limits earlier in the weekend, mirrors McLaren's highly successful strategy and marks a significant departure from Christian Horner's previous engine-preserving methods.

Why it matters: Red Bull has faced increasing performance challenges over the last 18 months, notably seeing McLaren emerge as a strong contender. The strategic shift under Mekies signals a concerted effort to regain their competitive edge and ensure optimal car setup from the very start of the race weekend.

The Big Picture: Historically, under Christian Horner's leadership, Red Bull often "turned down" their engines on Fridays. The logic was to preserve engine life and maintain peak performance for qualifying and the race. However, Albers points out that while this made sense for engine longevity, it could create issues: "Even the best driver has to get used to a new situation. If you suddenly come five kilometres per hour faster at the chicane, you have to adapt."

The New Approach: Laurent Mekies has implemented a more aggressive philosophy:

• Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed Mekies' influence, stating, "It’s mainly a different approach to practice. We’re trying things out and already pushing closer to the limit during practice."
• This allows the team to "find the car’s maximum earlier and ensures we’re not as far off in set-up direction compared to the past."
• McLaren has successfully employed this "full throttle all weekend" philosophy, quickly reaching the car's limits and then fine-tuning.

The Impact at Monza: The change paid immediate dividends at the Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen not only took pole but also secured a dominant 19.2-second victory over Lando Norris. Helmut Marko credited Mekies, highlighting his engineering prowess and a data-driven approach:

"Laurent is an excellent engineer. So it’s more based on data than whatever the simulation is showing you. But mix it with the experience like Max has, or the experience our racing engineers have, make a car which is predictable and drivable, that’s the product."

This strategic shift offers a crucial turning point for Red Bull in their bid to maintain championship contention.