Laurent Mekies, who recently took on the dual role of Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer at Red Bull Racing, expressed his dissatisfaction with the decisions made by the FIA during the 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Mekies openly questioned the race director’s choices, which he believes compromised the effectiveness of Red Bull’s carefully prepared race strategy. He was not alone in his criticism—both reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton also voiced concerns about the FIA’s handling of the event.
The most hotly debated topic of the race weekend was the FIA’s decision—specifically by race director Rui Marques—to delay the start of the Grand Prix by approximately 80 minutes. Once the race eventually got underway, it began with four laps behind the safety car before transitioning into a rolling start.
Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Scuderia Ferrari in the current 2025 season, stated that he believed Marques overreacted in his efforts to avoid another chaotic situation like the one seen at Silverstone just one week earlier. According to the British driver, the lengthy delay seemed disproportionate to the actual track conditions.
Max Verstappen, the four-time Formula 1 World Champion, also expressed agreement with Lewis Hamilton’s viewpoint. The Dutch driver remarked that in his opinion, the decision made by Rui Marques was difficult to understand and that the race could have easily started much earlier under the existing conditions.
This decision proved particularly detrimental to Max Verstappen and any other drivers or teams who had configured their cars with a wet-weather setup. Verstappen, who had hoped to capitalise on the anticipated rain, ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth place—behind Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari—after starting in the same position.
Laurent Mekies Speaks Out
The weekend had started on a promising note for Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen had qualified second in the Sprint Shootout and went on to win the Sprint Race itself. However, the outlook for Sunday’s Grand Prix shifted due to weather uncertainties. Rain had been forecast for the main race, leading many teams, including Red Bull Racing, to adopt a wet-weather configuration for their cars.
The FIA’s decision to delay the start until the skies cleared—and even wait for the sun to emerge—effectively nullified the advantages of that strategic choice. Despite a strong start to the weekend, Max Verstappen found himself struggling under dry conditions due to the high-downforce setup tailored for rain.
Laurent Mekies reflected on the situation, stating: “I believe all of us were surprised by how long it took to get the race underway. I am sure the FIA had its own considerations and safety priorities, but from our point of view as a team, it certainly came as an unexpected decision.”
He continued: “In practical terms, we did not just wait for the rain to stop. We waited until the sun came out, and even then, we spent several more laps circulating behind the safety car. Once again, I am sure the FIA had its reasoning, but in our specific case, the choice to set up the car for wet conditions ended up costing us in terms of outright performance. But that’s part of racing.”
The French Team Principal went on to add: “In terms of race effectiveness, the fact that we had so few laps actually run in wet conditions worked against us. We had made some well-reasoned setup decisions with the expectation of a wet race. In the end, although some rain did arrive, it didn’t last long enough for us to benefit from those choices. It definitely had an impact on how our race played out.”
He further analysed the outcome: “On the dry track, by the end of the race, Max Verstappen was following Charles Leclerc for every single lap without being able to make a move. With the aerodynamic package we had chosen—favouring downforce for wet conditions—it was always going to be extremely difficult to attempt an overtake on a dry surface. These things happen sometimes.”
“To summarise: you start the race in fourth position, having missed out on third by just three thousandths of a second to Charles Leclerc, and you finish fourth,” concluded Laurent Mekies, underlining how narrow the margins were and how much the weather-dependent strategy ultimately shaped the final result.
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