What surprised Mekies the most about working with Verstappen in F1

Red Bull F1 chief Laurent Mekies has explained why Max Verstappen is just "as extraordinary out of the car" as in it, after getting to work with the four-time world champion over the past three months. 

Mekies moved from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing in July to replace Christian Horner, working with Verstappen for the first time after admiring the Dutchman from a distance over his stints with Ferrari, the FIA and Racing Bulls. 

What Mekies found the most striking about his lead driver is not just the world-beating performances aboard the Red Bull RB21, but the Dutchman's intense work ethic and commitment behind the scenes. 

"Everybody knows what he does in the car and how extraordinary that is, and how close he is able to be to the limit, lap after lap, race after race, year after year," Mekies told the new Securing the Win podcast, a collaboration between Motorsport Network with Red Bull and 1Password. 

"We know he sets a benchmark there. I think the biggest surprise has been to discover him outside of the car, and he is as extraordinary, if not more extraordinary, out of the car that is in the car. 

"The level of commitment, his deep understanding of the complexity of the team trying to give him the fastest possible car and how to drive that team towards the right solution for the car is incredible. He lives for racing. 

"You call him at any time, he will be on this simulator training. And if he's not in the simulator, he's racing with another car somewhere in Europe. That tells you how intense the person is." 

Verstappen, who has re-emerged as a 2025 title contender after winning three of the last four races, played a key role in helping turn Red Bull's form around. The Milton Keynes squad has changed its set-up philosophy to align closer to what its drivers are reporting, while it has also brought a tweaked floor design and front wing. 

Mekies has always played down his own share in the team's resurgence since the summer break, but it is understood the former engineer has also played a significant role in improving communications within the engineering squad and making it challenge its own beliefs. 

But having now witnessed how Verstappen interacts with the team, Mekies says the reigning world champion has a uniquely precise ability to communicate with team members as he drives the development of Red Bull's cars. 

"[He has] that natural understanding of the huge number of people around you trying to drive car performance, that you will need to choose the right words with each of them to help them be at their optimum," Mekies explained. 

"That's what he does every day. Sometimes I think it's very easy to underestimate how central Max is to the team. It's not the team... and Max. He is completely embedded in the team. He's driving the car development, he is driving what we are doing for next year. 

"That's how tight so relationship is. And I think it's a huge, huge asset for us."