Mekies highlights Verstappen’s influence: ‘His input is massive’

Red Bull’s resurgence has put Max Verstappen back in the winner’s circle, but team principal Laurent Mekies believes the Dutchman’s contribution extends well beyond what he delivers behind the wheel.

The four-time world champion’s ability to identify the RB22’s weaknesses has helped guide the team’s recovery, earning lavish praise from the man leading its revival.

After a difficult start to 2026, Red Bull has dramatically closed the gap to its rivals. Verstappen’s breakthrough victory in Malaysia was followed by another in Singapore, where he converted pole into wins in both the Sprint and Grand Prix.

Mekies credits the progress not only to upgrades and improved reliability, but also to a driver whose technical feedback helps engineers understand where performance is being lost.

“His input is massive,” the Frenchman said after Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. “His technical sensitivity is outstanding, probably without any equivalent and therefore yes, he has that capability to pinpoint what is limiting performance.

“Unfortunately for us it doesn't mean that we have a fix for it when he tells us what the problem is, but at least he tells us what the problem is. It's a massive help for the team.

“We do it in a way where we are always very direct and transparent with each other, and constructive even if it comes with emotion sometimes. It's a massive boost for the chassis development and a massive boost to the PU development.

“Again, we wish we could provide solutions faster sometimes, but it's part of the game.

“Even on a weekend where you take two poles and two wins like this weekend, we are still very honest with each other about the fact that there were still a number of things we would like to see done better, and that's the spirit of this team. With that spirit, we will go on and reset and tackle the next races.”

Feedback that fuels the turnaround

Mekies’ comments underline how Verstappen’s feel for the car helps shape its development. Pinpointing a weakness gives engineers a clearer target, even if a fix is not immediate.

That process depends on frank exchanges, even when emotions run high.

Mekies believes Red Bull’s willingness to be direct, and to keep searching for improvements even after a weekend of two poles and two wins, has become central to its progress.

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix

The recent results have also brought Red Bull within seven points of McLaren in the battle for third in the Constructors’ Championship. Mekies, however, is wary of assuming the current order will hold.

“I think the fact is that in these last three races we had the pace to win and actually we won two out of the three, you know. For the first time this season in these three races, we had ultimate pace,” he added.

“It's fair to say that the three tracks are different enough for one to think that moving to other types of tracks the car should be competitive – and that's also what we think, that the car should be competitive, having shown what it has shown in the last three races now.

“It's never a given, and you have seen it with many, many examples this year. You had the back-to-back wins from the McLaren, and then suffered a bit more after. You had a very dominant period from Mercedes, and after they've been suffering, so it's a fight every race weekend to extract everything.

“If you do so, we think we can fight for wins. There is another element, which is that we have completed our update programme for this year. So, this pecking order could well very rapidly change if some or many of our competitors bring upgrades.”

Eyes already on 2027

Red Bull has no further substantial upgrades planned for this year, making the remaining races important both for immediate results and for the lessons they can provide for next season.

Mekies insists the team will continue pushing hard, even as its development focus shifts.

“There will be no other substantial upgrade to the car,” Mekies added.

“Now, don't get me wrong, it does not mean that we will not continue to push very hard to improve, continue to push very hard to use every remaining race to learn for this year and to learn for next year.

“That's what we have to say to each other. We have to tell each other, you know, the first win is the target. But the other target is to take all the learning, so the development programme will not change.

“We have put our focus to ‘27. We think there is still a huge amount of learning in ‘26 that we could use in ‘27.”

Verstappen’s victories have restored Red Bull’s competitivity, but Mekies sees a deeper reason for optimism: a driver helping the team make its car faster. That partnership could prove valuable in shaping Red Bull’s 2027 challenge.

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