Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies commented on Max Verstappen’s pole position in Abu Dhabi qualifying, the final chapter of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Red Bull, Mekies’ pride
When he took charge of the Red Bull pit wall, Laurent Mekies certainly did not expect to arrive in Abu Dhabi starting from pole position and from that very spot have a real chance of fighting for the Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen. When he joined the team, on 9 July, the deficit to the top of the standings was 69 points, and the momentum on track was entirely in McLaren’s favour. Red Bull, however, had already laid the foundation for a comeback, and Laurent Mekies did an excellent job restoring enthusiasm in an environment poisoned by internal conflicts.
For this reason, the Frenchman will be satisfied with the impact he has had at Red Bull and with a second half of the season he described as “sensational”, regardless of how the championship ends.
Mekies’ words
“It was a fantastic performance from Max, but also from Yuki (who gave Max Verstappen a tow on the first lap of Q3) and from the entire team. Of course, there are no points handed out on a Saturday, but we have given ourselves the opportunity to give everything and to fight. We are staying focused on ourselves, because we cannot control what happens behind us,” Laurent Mekies said. “Max took pole twice today, he dominated with both used and new tyres.”
“Everyone at the track and in Milton Keynes has worked extremely hard to reach this position and to fight for the title all the way to the end. Whatever happens tomorrow, it has been a sensational end to the year for us,” he added.
From 69 points down to pole position for the title showdown – few team principals have enjoyed such a dramatic debut half-season. Whatever the result on Sunday night, Laurent Mekies and Red Bull have already written one of the stories of the year.
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