The first weekend of the new technical era left Red Bull in an unusual position: fast yet vulnerable, brilliant at times and uncertain at others. The words of Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, and Laurent Mekies not only recount the race but also reveal the mindset of a team still learning its own car. Listening to them is essential to understand where Red Bull truly stands today.
Verstappen: raw talent against an unpredictable car
Max started from the chaos of the opening meters, speaking with a candor that reveals how complicated the race was from the very start.
“The first laps were pretty hectic, and we just had to stay out of trouble.”
Right away, the nature of the new F1 is clear: traffic, duels, unpredictability. But for Max, there’s also a more concrete problem.
“At the start, I had some battery issues, so as soon as I released the clutch I had no power, and that’s something we need to understand.”
In a regulation so dependent on the electric component, this issue is a heavy burden. Yet, despite everything, the comeback begins.
“Then we overtook the group fairly well, made some decent passes, and learned something about what we could do.”
It’s Max observing, studying, understanding. But the true limit appears later.
“Unfortunately, we experienced slightly too much degradation; the tires’ behavior was surprising, because we had a lot of graining with the hard compound.”
The word “surprising” says it all: Red Bull did not expect this behavior. And when Max tries to push, the car betrays him.
“When we closed in, my tires went off.”
A snapshot of a car that is fast but fragile—capable of a comeback but not a real fight.
“Overall, the team did a great job: it was a decent recovery from P20, and we’ll work together as a team to close the gap further.”
Here returns the leader Max: clear-headed, practical, aware the road ahead is long.
Hadjar and Mekies: between frustration and pragmatism
Isack Hadjar experienced a completely different weekend. His race ended before it began, and the tone of his words confirms it.
“Today was a frustrating day. I was confident we could fight for the podium, so this result is a shame.”
The disappointment is clear, especially as the potential was there.
“I felt really strong at the start, but unfortunately the problem we had appeared immediately.”
A hard blow, arriving without warning.
“The car made a strange noise, and I knew we wouldn’t make it to the end.”
A heavy statement: a driver immediately understanding that the race was compromised.
Yet Hadjar does not give up.
“It’s frustrating, but these things can happen, and we are still at the beginning of our journey.”
The maturity of someone who knows the season is long.
“I’m confident we will learn from this experience.”
A closing that shows character, despite everything.
Laurent Mekies, meanwhile, provides the broader perspective, starting with context.
“This was a very important weekend for Formula 1, the first race of a new era for this sport.”
A reminder that everyone is navigating new waters.
Then he gets to the point.
“With such a radical change to the technical regulations, some retirements were inevitable, and it’s a shame that one of them was Isack’s.”
No minimization, no hiding.
But he also highlights what worked.
“The remaining three Red Bull Ford Powertrains cars finished the race, two of them in the top ten.”
And above all, he celebrates Verstappen’s comeback.
“He delivered a fantastic performance, moving from 20th on the grid to 6th at the finish.”
Finally, he looks ahead.
“This weekend we collected a lot of data that we will put to use in a few days in China.”
The key phrase: Red Bull is in full learning mode.
The words of the protagonists paint a Red Bull different from recent years: less dominant, more vulnerable, but also hungrier and more aware. Verstappen once again demonstrated his talent against a car still to be fully understood. Hadjar paid the price of reliability. Mekies reminded that this season will be a marathon of development.
Australia didn’t give definitive answers, but it revealed a team that does not hide and knows how to read its own limits. And in a new technical era, this is exactly where the journey restarts.
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