Mekies: “Verstappen is at the heart of the team. We’ll announce the 2026 line-up after Lusail”

Present and future

Max Verstappen’s triumph at the Las Vegas Grand Prix keeps alive his hopes of securing the 2025 World Championship, which would be his fifth consecutive title. The Dutch driver claimed victory on the U.S. street circuit after overtaking Lando Norris at the first corner off the start, maintaining the lead all the way to the checkered flag.

The win also marked a significant points gain over Norris, helped by the dramatic McLaren disqualification, which delighted Red Bull and Team Principal Laurent Mekies. The former Ferrari deputy team boss underlined Max Verstappen’s central role within the team: “Max is not outside the team to judge it, for better or worse. Max is at the heart of the team,” he told Sky Sport F1. “He is fully involved in the project, living it and helping it grow. He fails with us when we fail to deliver everything and push each other. His commitment to the team is extraordinary, true, but the team is equally committed to him.”

While Verstappen enjoyed a stellar weekend, it was another tough race for Yuki Tsunoda. Forced to start from the pit lane due to a power unit change and finishing 14th (promoted to 12th only after the McLaren disqualifications), the Japanese driver’s future at Red Bull seems uncertain. In recent days, team advisor Helmut Marko had announced that the decision on the 2026 line-up would be made at the end of the season. Laurent Mekies, however, appears ready to give fans a quicker update: “We will announce our line-up right after Qatar. Just one more week of patience.” – the Red Bull team boss concluded at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With the Qatar Grand Prix kicking off in less than seven days and the Abu Dhabi finale the week after, Red Bull fans won’t have to wait long to discover who will partner Max Verstappen when the new regulations begin in 2026.