“We don’t need to look at McLaren” – Laurent Mekies bullish on Red Bull turnaround in Qatar. Red Bull faces challenges at Qatar GP FP1 with Verstappen sixth and McLarens ahead.

The only practice session of this weekend did not provide encouraging signals for Red Bull.

A slow start

Two McLarens at the top and Max Verstappen in sixth place. It is only the first (and only) practice session of the weekend, and the situation could change already during tonight’s Sprint qualifying. However, the start of the Qatar weekend was clearly not ideal for Red Bull. Beyond the lap times and race simulations, even Max Verstappen’s team radio highlighted doubts about the RB21’s effectiveness on the Losail circuit.

Laurent Mekies confident despite difficulties

Interviewed by Sky Sport F1 at the end of FP1, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged the challenges faced by the team, but he also expressed confidence. He stated that if Max Verstappen’s car can be brought into the right operating window, the Austrian team could once again be a credible contender for victory, despite the apparent superiority of the McLaren MCL39 cars.

It’s all about the window

“We are not happy with the car’s balance and where we are in our performance window,” Laurent Mekies explained. “So, we didn’t start the weekend on the best foot, but we know that’s part of the game; we’ve seen it many times this year. Finding the right window every time is a challenge. Without looking at McLaren, we need to get the car into the right window: when and if we do, we can compete for the win. We don’t need to focus on others; we need to focus on ourselves. If we put the car in the right place, we will be able to fight with McLaren and the rest.” – the former Ferrari deputy team boss concluded.