Red Bull might bring Max Verstappen back into the fight for the Formula 1 championship — at least, that’s the vision of Team Principal Laurent Mekies. The Frenchman has injected new energy into the Milton Keynes team, completely transforming the atmosphere within the garage and giving the squad a renewed sense of purpose. Under Mekies’ leadership, Red Bull seems reborn, and now Verstappen looks ready to join the battle for the Drivers’ title once again. Meanwhile, McLaren appears more nervous than usual after seeing the Dutchman take pole position in Austin’s Sprint Qualifying.
It was a flawless execution from Red Bull, putting Verstappen in the best possible position to deliver another strong result. The Sprint Race will now serve as a key indicator for the remainder of the weekend. If the RB21 manages to win again in Texas, the narrative heading into the final rounds of the season could shift dramatically, reigniting talk of a late championship comeback.
Red Bull’s late-season resurgence
During the Team Principals’ press conference, Laurent Mekies discussed Red Bull’s recent progress and Verstappen’s growing potential to challenge for the championship. While such a scenario still seems optimistic, the atmosphere in the paddock is noticeably changing — and McLaren’s demeanor is starting to show signs of strain under pressure.
“I think it’s fair to say we now have enough potential in the car to be competitive on most circuits,” explained Mekies. “That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be able to win, but it does mean that if we extract everything from the car on a particular weekend, we can put ourselves in a position to fight for victory.”
The Frenchman went on to emphasize Red Bull’s renewed focus and passion for pure racing. “We love racing. That’s what we live for. Coming to a weekend like Austin, you can probably name four teams capable of winning on Sunday. It will come down to half a tenth, maybe one tenth of a second — that can make the difference between starting on pole or being on the second or third row and scoring only a handful of points. That’s where our focus lies.”
Mekies also agreed with Verstappen’s own assessment that the chances of winning the championship remain at “fifty-fifty.” The Team Principal’s confidence mirrors the growing belief inside Red Bull that their driver can still mount a late-season challenge if the car continues to evolve at this pace.
Warning signs for McLaren
McLaren now feels the pressure of having a world champion and a race-winning team closing in. Zak Brown has admitted that Verstappen’s presence — even with the current points gap — is unsettling the internal fight between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The Dutchman has been through title battles many times before and shows no signs of stress, while for McLaren’s young duo, the situation is entirely new and increasingly intense.
Following Sprint Qualifying, Lando Norris candidly admitted that seeing Verstappen ahead is no longer a surprise. The latest Red Bull upgrades appear to be working perfectly, and the RB21 is now performing strongly across all types of circuits. While the intra-team battle between Norris and Piastri continues, the end of the season might not be as straightforward as McLaren once hoped.
Red Bull’s return to form under Laurent Mekies has not only reawakened Max Verstappen’s championship hopes but also sent a clear message to their rivals: the fight is far from over. With the team from Milton Keynes rediscovering its rhythm, McLaren could be facing a far tougher challenge in the final rounds than they initially expected.
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