Laurent Mekies hails Max Verstappen’s perfect lap and Yuki Tsunoda’s breakthrough performance in Baku. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praises Max Verstappen’s flawless pole position.

Mekies enjoys ‘master’ Max: “Verstappen was exceptional. Tsunoda? Great job”

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies expressed understandable satisfaction following yesterday’s qualifying session in Baku, where Max Verstappen secured pole position and Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth. Considering the chaotic conditions, the result was almost perfect for the team.

Verstappen “exceptional”

Max Verstappen in first and Yuki Tsunoda in sixth. Given the challenging circumstances, Red Bull could hardly have hoped for a better outcome in Baku qualifying. Amid the incredible chaos on the streets of Azerbaijan, including multiple red flags, incidents, and light rain towards the end, Verstappen’s talent made the decisive difference. His flawless lap drew high praise from his team principal, Laurent Mekies, who highlighted how the Dutch driver was impeccable.

“Honestly, Max was exceptional. It was a really difficult qualifying session. There were gusts of wind reaching 60 km/h, and every lap was different from the previous one—sometimes with the wind, sometimes with light rain—but Max made no mistakes, kept improving, and adapted perfectly,” Mekies said. For once, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda also managed to shine, first reaching Q3 and then securing an important third row, ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren.

Applause for Yuki Tsunoda

“Great job from Yuki as well. It was his best qualifying with us, and he managed the session really well,” the French manager added. “I want to congratulate everyone here at the track and in Milton Keynes, because the car is performing very well, at a very high level. It’s a good sign and a testament to all the hard work. Team communication was excellent at all levels—not just from the pit wall to the drivers—despite many uncontrollable factors. They took all the right risks; we were the last two to leave the pits on the final lap, which was quite a gamble, but it paid off.”

“We don’t have much information on race pace here,” Mekies concluded, looking ahead to Sunday. “On Friday, not many teams did long runs because everyone was trying to save their race tires. So there’s a bit more uncertainty than usual about how things will unfold, and there’s always the risk of a Safety Car.”