Max Verstappen secured his sixth victory of the year and his 69th Formula 1 win in Las Vegas. Following the disqualification of both McLaren drivers, he also has a clear shot at his fifth consecutive title. Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, who has been working closely with Verstappen for the past six months, heaps praise on the four-time champion. According to the Frenchman, the 28-year-old driver is reaching new heights with his recent masterclasses.
For the majority of 2025, it seemed as though McLaren would take both championships. The MCL39 was undoubtedly the most competitive car. Reigning champion Max Verstappen managed to outsmart his competitors on occasion – think Japan and Imola – but generally, he had to fall in line behind the papayas. However, in the second half of the season, the Dutchman staged an impressive comeback: a 104-point deficit was reduced to just 24. With a sprint weekend in Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi on the horizon, anything is still possible.
‘Every Victory Counts’
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies was full of praise once again after Max Verstappen‘s latest feat. “In terms of his driving style, I think he’s as good as, or even better than, ever before,” he told the media in Las Vegas. “We’ve seen countless examples of this already this year. We know we suffered in the first part of the season,” he admitted. Especially during the European season, Red Bull left many valuable points on the table. “But the guys did a fantastic job bringing the car back to life,” Mekies commended his team.
Mekies emphasized that Verstappen is now perfectly comfortable with the RB21 again. “Now that he’s back fighting for the win, he’s delivering one masterclass after another,” the Frenchman beamed. “That’s just how it is.” For the final two-part race in Lusail and Abu Dhabi, Red Bull’s approach remains unchanged. “We do what we always do; we take it race by race. Every victory counts. You quickly forget how hard it is to win. Everything has to be right. You can hardly imagine bigger differences than between Las Vegas and Qatar; everything is the exact opposite. We start from scratch again and try to make it another good weekend.”
