Red Bull and Max Verstappen secured their third victory of the season at the recent Italian Grand Prix. The Austrians had to wait a long time for a new triumph; Verstappen’s last win was over three months ago. Top advisor Helmut Marko attributes this turnaround to the new team boss, Laurent Mekies. The latter took over from Christian Horner in July and is said to have introduced a ‘new way of racing’.
Max Verstappen crossed the finish line on Sunday with a lead of over 19 seconds. After several challenging weekends, his RB21 seemed to be the fastest car on the grid. Thanks in part to the good training sessions on Friday and an extremely fast pole lap, Red Bull looks back on perhaps the best weekend of the year. After the Grand Prix, top advisor Helmut Marko appeared in front of Viaplay’s cameras, where he mainly discussed the positive influence of team boss Laurent Mekies.
“He (Mekies, ed.) brought a new approach to how we should race,” said Marko. “And that clearly has its effect. It’s incredible. I mean, a 20-second lead over McLaren and dominating the race, plus the fastest race lap,” he summarized. “Two Grand Prix ago, in Hungary, we looked so bad. And now we manage to pull the race towards us. Even after last year, when we had one of our worst races in Monza, we are now more optimistic.”
Resurgence
Unlike last year, Red Bull brought a special rear wing with less downforce to Monza this year. In addition, Max Verstappen opted for a setup with less downforce, which only benefited him on the fast Italian circuit. In a second interview with the German branch of Sky Sports, Marko praised not only Mekies but also Verstappen’s role. “Two races ago, we were happy if a point was scored,” the top advisor stated. “Here we win with a 20-second lead – an absolute top performance from Verstappen. He was in control all the time.”
“With such a lead, there is actually nothing to criticize,” Marko continued. “That’s just what Max does. What a resurgence, we are all overjoyed.” Looking ahead to the upcoming Grands Prix in Azerbaijan and Singapore, Marko has high expectations. “I have confidence in Baku,” he concluded optimistically. “The fast circuits should suit us better. Singapore is of course a country where Verstappen has never won, but I think we can lead on most circuits on our own strength.”
