Max Verstappen praises Laurent Mekies and looks to close 2025 with better car and more podiums. Max Verstappen aims to finish the 2025 season with a more consistent Red Bull car.

The challenges of Max Verstappen

Recent disappointing results, with four consecutive races off the podium, have effectively ended Max Verstappen’s 2025 championship ambitions. The Red Bull ace, after months of speculation and more or less explicit flirtations with Toto Wolff’s Mercedes team, has decided to remain with Milton Keynes despite the uncertainties. These doubts are not only linked to the current technical situation, which is not particularly encouraging—his RB21 is currently the third or sometimes even fourth fastest car on the grid—but also to questions about the Red Bull-Ford power unit that will debut next season. At present, it is not seen as a clear favorite for the new regulatory era.

Super Max on the second half of the 2025 season

Before thinking about the future, there is still the remainder of the current season to consider. The priority now is to maintain morale and try to avoid a long stretch without podiums or victories. “The desire is always to finish in a dignified way, of course,” Verstappen told the US magazine Racer, “even if everyone is already focused on 2026. What we want now is to try to get a better balance in the car and, ultimately, more consistent results. I don’t know if it will be possible to win again, and after a weekend like Hungary, where I finished ninth, it’s very hard to say. But you never know, and there could still be surprises.”

Verstappen added, “I just stay neutral about everything, so I don’t get overly optimistic or pessimistic or anything like that. Before 2025, I thought, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ Naturally, I hope we can still win a few races here and there. And we have managed it—we won two—but it’s still tough. On the other hand, we have to recognize that McLaren has done an excellent job from last year to this year. For us, it has been a bit harder to keep up. Our recent form is not a surprise considering the issues we are facing. On the other hand, over the past four years, I’ve had really strong results. Success in Formula 1 comes and goes.”

Praise for Laurent Mekies

Finally, Max Verstappen also offered high praise for Red Bull’s new team principal and CEO, Laurent Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner in July, ending the British manager’s reign that lasted more than 20 years. “His mentality is very open and proactive. Naturally, the communication between us can only improve, but things are going very well so far,” concluded Max Verstappen.