Laurent Mekies is repeating the same mistake Christian Horner made with Max Verstappen

Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Laurent Mekies appears to have misunderstood Max Verstappen’s concerns about the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, and that’s likely to add to the world champion’s frustration.

Taking over from Christian Horner, one of the sport’s most successful and longest-serving team principals, was never going to be easy for Mekies. He stepped into the role at Red Bull last July.

Mekies quickly earned praise after his arrival by helping Verstappen get back into title contention. But with Red Bull introducing their own engine in 2026, this season was always expected to bring new challenges.

This season hasn’t started well either. Instead of fighting at the front, Red Bull have found themselves stuck in the upper midfield. And while Mekies may have anticipated some early struggles, Verstappen’s public hints about retirement weren’t something he could’ve planned for.

Laurent Mekies dismissing Max Verstappen’s complaints

Mekies, on the other hand, sounds relaxed about the whole thing and will no doubt call for calm when he addresses Gianpiero Lambiase’s upcoming move to McLaren at the Miami Grand Prix.

While Mekies does acknowledge that rule “tweaks” must be made to prioritise driver skill over battery management, he believes that Verstappen’s unhappiness is fundamentally linked to Red Bull’s underperforming car.

“If we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year, and hence we are focused on that,” he said recently on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

But Verstappen has consistently said that he would be making the same complaints if he were winning races. His problem lies with the formula itself, not with the RB22.

Mekies’ casual response hasn’t sat well with Verstappen. He sees his issue as much bigger than just performance. For him, it’s about how the new regulations shape racing as a whole.

Laurent Mekies risks repeating Christian Horner’s Max Verstappen mistake

Verstappen didn’t cause Horner’s dismissal, but it was clear he was losing patience with how things were being run. He felt ignored when raising concerns about the car’s balance under the previous regulations and was also frustrated when Red Bull made driver changes without consulting him.

The arrival of Mekies brought a shift. Verstappen quickly found himself more at ease, appreciating Mekies’ engineering-first approach compared to Horner’s business background.

Mekies listened to Verstappen on technical matters, making the driver feel his input mattered again. And since then, there haven’t been any negative reports coming from Verstappen’s side of the camp.

But if Mekies continues to play down Verstappen’s frustrations, he risks repeating past mistakes – something Red Bull can’t afford right now.

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