Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner partway through the season, has quickly become a highly valued figure, both within the paddock and inside the Milton Keynes squad. His leadership has reshaped the relationship between engineers, drivers, and rival teams, creating a calmer and more collaborative environment inside Red Bull.
The key setup decision
Speaking to Servus TV, Helmut Marko made it clear that Mekies was instrumental in guiding Red Bull’s approach at Monza. “Appointing him was the right decision,” said Marko. “Given the complexity of Formula 1, having a technical expert at the top is probably the best solution.”
Marko explained that the atmosphere in the technical department has shifted compared to the past. “The whole technical team is more open and willing to discuss things. They’re no longer blindly following what the simulations say. The engineers are listening more closely to the driver. If you have someone as fast and experienced as Max, I believe that’s the right approach.”
The Red Bull team principal pushed for driver feedback to carry more weight in technical decisions. At Monza, Verstappen argued strongly for a lower downforce setup. Initially, the engineers resisted, but eventually they agreed to follow his direction. “He’s the one who has to drive the car, and it’s important for us to improve our top speed. We saw that we could distance ourselves from McLaren and also make other changes. The driver’s contribution was taken into account,” Marko concluded.
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