'Don't tell him': Red Bull boss admits 'painful' Max Verstappen truth

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies has shared the 'painful' truth about his star driver Max Verstappen.

The energy drink giants initiated a major reshuffle of their leadership structure earlier this year, which was kickstarted by the shock announcement that Christian Horner would be leaving his day-to-day role at Red Bull with immediate effect.

Mekies was then promoted up to the main team from Racing Bulls having received the call up to replace the former boss and CEO.

Since his arrival, Verstappen has revived his championship charge and is still mathematically in contention for the drivers' title with just three rounds to go.

This came as a shock to the paddock and championship leaders McLaren given that Verstappen had struggled significantly with his RB21 for the entire first half of the season, but if there is one thing Mekies has learned from his time where he considered Verstappen a rival, it's that the Dutchman should never be ruled out.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Talking Bull podcast, Mekies reflected on his past view of Verstappen before becoming the four-time champion's boss, saying: "Everybody was watching Max doing what he does in the car. I’ve had the pain to watch as a competitor for years, it was really, really annoying."

Mekies: Verstappen 'even more extraordinary out of the car'

The Frenchman continued, explaining the reality of Verstappen's character both in and out of an F1 car now that he has had the chance of working alongside the reigning champion.

"The simple plain truth is that then you get the luck to work with him and the guy is even more extraordinary out of the car than he is in the car," Mekies said.

"It looks stupid to say but that's what it is. You discover the level of his technical sensitivity, we call him the best sensor in the car," the Red Bull boss added, before jokingly pleading with podcast hosts Nicola Hume and Tommo McCluskey: "Don't tell him but he really is the best sensor in the car!"

"The level of commitment, the level of energy he puts into it, how he is immersed into the world of motorsport also beyond Formula 1, you know he's racing elsewhere.

"If he's not racing elsewhere on his free weekends he is doing the sim racing days or nights or both I'm not sure... you call him on Monday after a race and say, 'so how are you, you are resting somewhere, you came back ok?'

"He'll say, 'yeah well no I'm racing right now,' he's sim racing the next day after the race like it's unbelievable."

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