The hidden benefit of Verstappen’s new F1 deal that Red Bull wants to exploit

Since his appointment as team principal in July last year, Mekies has often spoken about building what he calls "a new cycle" at Red Bull. With four consecutive world titles for Sebastian Vettel and the same run with Verstappen, the team has already enjoyed two immensely successful periods.

But after what has been a rather turbulent period, Mekies believes the foundations now need to be laid for a third. The results are already better than they were at the start of this year – when things were particularly poor on the chassis side – but Mekies knows as well as anyone that Red Bull’s standards are higher and that a stronger foundation is needed for the future, something the team is currently working on with the recruitment of Gwen Lagrue, among others.

At Zandvoort, Mekies summed up the process as follows: in his view, Red Bull needs three pillars for future success: "If one thinks what pillars are needed in order to open that winning cycle again, well, certainly the driver’s side is done now. 

"We have been saying many, many times that we feel that we have the best talents in Milton Keynes, and that is the second pillar.

"And certainly the third pillar is the number of strategic decisions that have been made that we trust will give us a competitive advantage. I'm referring to many fun things that we have in Milton Keynes, with the [new] wind tunnel and a few other secrets."

As for that first pillar, Red Bull now knows it can count on Verstappen for the coming years, although logically every F1 contract contains clauses and, knowing Raymond Vermeulen and the Verstappen camp, it is almost unthinkable that they would have signed a deal without a potential way out.

Mekies therefore knows as well as anyone that this contract is certainly no reason for Red Bull to rest on its laurels.

Verstappen knows that this season won’t result in a title race, but still sees long-term potential at Red Bull

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"It is a huge demonstration of trust that Max has put in the team by making this decision. We don't take it lightly," Mekies said. "With that trust comes a huge amount of responsibility in living up to it, being able to give him the best package for the years to come.

"If one thinks about the role that Max has in the team, he is a lot more than the fastest driver in the world for us.

"We have been saying it many, many times, he is a central point for the team, one we always refer to for all the strategic decisions we are making. And to know that he's going to be with us in order to build that next winning cycle is phenomenal."

How Red Bull wants to use Verstappen’s deal to attract talent

While Verstappen himself covers the driver side and therefore the first pillar, Mekies believes this deal is also crucial to a more hidden aspect, the second priority he mentioned on Thursday: retaining and, ideally, attracting the right people for the team.

In that respect, the past few years have not been easy for Red Bull. With Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Rob Marshall, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley among those to have left, several key figures from the previous successful periods are no longer there.

Verstappen stresses, however, that while such moves dominate the headlines, there is a whole other layer beneath that which fans never hear about.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

"You're naming five people out of 2,000 or whatever. It's like Laurent said as well, it's proper teamwork. And yes, of course a few names have left, but at the same time, it's still my family," Verstappen said. "I never felt the desire or need to change to another team, to try and win somewhere else. If I feel well within the team here, then why should I?"

When it comes to Red Bull’s workforce, this deal is important. The team has often been portrayed as a sinking ship, while the annual discussion over whether Verstappen might leave has not always been helpful from Red Bull’s perspective either – including when trying to attract new personnel.

The contract extension is therefore a statement of intent, something Red Bull can use in talks with sought-after engineers, both to retain existing staff and to convince new recruits to join.

According to Mekies, being able to point to Verstappen makes a huge difference in that regard: “It's massively important. You know, the good guys – and at the end of the day you are only interested in the good guys and girls – they have the choice.

"And I'm talking about our people as well. They have the choice because they are very, very good at what they do. So as much as Max had to choose which team to commit to, they have the choice to commit left or right as well."

In that respect, it can help that Red Bull is assured of having a top driver for longer, providing stability on at least that front.

Red Bull hopes to capitalise on the stability in its driver line-up to attract sought-after engineers to Milton Keynes

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

"We are all united by only one thing: we want to win. And when you're able to say that the fastest driver in the world, more than a driver for the team, is with us, it's a massive stability element. And it's a massive ambition element. Then everybody understands that everything else is set up only with that single objective to win. So, it's a very big element."

In other words, this contract is not merely a driver deal, but also a building block Mekies wants to use to shape the team of the future. And that works both ways: attracting new personnel, but also preventing a further exodus.

Regarding the latter, the process of replacing Gianpiero Lambiase is a good example. Verstappen revealed several months ago that he already had an internal successor in mind, who ultimately turned out to be his former performance engineer Tom Hart. However, Hart had already been on his way to Williams to become Alex Albon’s race engineer.

Verstappen’s preference ultimately led to Hart staying and becoming his new race engineer for next year. It fits with Mekies’ second pillar, but at the same time underlines how Red Bull has been built around Verstappen and how the Milton Keynes-based team does everything it can to provide him with a tailor-made environment – sparing no effort or expense to do so.

Mekies: Verstappen’s new contract also puts pressure on Red Bull

At the same time, Mekies knows that this step alone is not a cure-all. Yes, tying Verstappen down for longer is an important milestone and perhaps Mekies’ biggest victory since taking over from Horner last year, but a signature on a piece of paper does not solve everything and gives no guarantees.

Red Bull still has to deliver in all those other areas.

Verstappen said at Zandvoort that he was closer to retiring from F1 than to a move to McLaren

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

"We must not use that as an excuse," Mekies also acknowledged. "It's a very big plus, but we still need to work on everything else to make sure that we keep developing and attract all the talents we need."

The Red Bull team principal makes no secret of the fact that the current competitive picture is not good enough, but internally everyone already knows that this year will not produce a title fight, meaning the focus is entirely on the future and the potential over the longer term.

And Verstappen seemingly still sees that potential. With the encouraging start made by Red Bull Ford Powertrains and the new wind tunnel the team hopes to start using early next year, that is not particularly surprising.

It is now up to Red Bull to use the stability on the driver front to put the remaining pieces of the puzzle in place. And so Mekies is right: yes, this new contract is an important step, but more is needed for Red Bull to embark on a third period of success. That is precisely what explains the pressure and responsibility Mekies referred to on Thursday.

If Red Bull succeeds, much will be different from its previous successful period, but at least the man behind the wheel will not.