Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies was full of praise for Max Verstappen‘s performance and the work of the team in Milton Keynes after the qualifying session in Singapore. The Dutch driver qualified second behind George Russell, and according to Mekies, he could have achieved even more without traffic in the final corner. However, satisfaction prevails: especially the progress Red Bull has made since the summer break pleases the Frenchman.
“It was another very strong qualifying session from Max and the team,” Mekies said afterwards. “It’s nice to see some long faces when you’re on the front row of the grid. And of course, we think we would have been a lot closer to George without that traffic in the last corner. I’m not going to say we would have been on pole, but Max would certainly have been close.”
The Frenchman emphasized just how big a step Red Bull has taken in recent races. “Everyone in Milton Keynes has worked incredibly hard to bring the car back to life – and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Okay, we’re not on pole, but we can fight with McLaren and Mercedes again. This is a completely different circuit than, for example, Zandvoort, where we didn’t even come close to pole. That says everything about the work that has been done.” With a front row start and competitive speed, Red Bull seems to be fighting its way back into the battle for victories – and Mekies knows who to thank for that: the people behind the scenes and Max Verstappen himself.
