Red Bull F1 chief Laurent Mekies reveals downside to Max Verstappen being so good

Red Bull may boast the talent of Max Verstappen among their ranks for now, but that isn't always a good thing according to team principal Laurent Mekies.

The Red Bull F1 chief revealed during last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix proceedings that there is often a downside to having a star driver as fast as Verstappen.

The 28-year-old has four drivers' titles to his name and has frequently reaffirmed that he wishes to only represent the energy drink giants in F1 rather than making the move to a rival team.

But the Dutchman's loyalty is increasingly being tested in 2026 after the Milton Keynes-based squad struggled to hit the ground running under the new regulations.

As July's summer break approaches, the pressure is on for Mekies to convince Verstappen to stay instead of activating his contract clause, which is rumoured to allow him to leave Red Bull should he sit outside the top two in the championship once next month's Hungarian GP draws to a close.

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Mekies on why Verstappen's speed didn't translate in Austria

The FIA may have ruled the new Red Bull Powertrains-Ford power unit as the benchmark for the new era, but Mekies and his team have strongly protested that assessment.

As their rivals waste no time in using the first of the upgrade tokens handed to them by F1's governing body, Red Bull are at risk of being left behind on the engine front.

So, in the hopes of securing a more positive result in a bid to keep Verstappen interested in the project, Red Bull brought a major upgrade to their home race in Spielberg.

Verstappen finished P2 in Sunday's race, just 1.6s behind eventual race winner George Russell.

But speaking after the final hour of practice on Friday, in which Red Bull's star driver finished only sixth-fastest, before his late crash in qualifying, team principal Mekies explained why Verstappen's speed often gives the team and the fans at home false confidence.

"It’s always dangerous to judge the first lap because Max is so switched on in the very first lap that often it paints a picture of us that is a bit too nice compared to competition," said the Red Bull team principal.

So, lesson learned Verstappen fans. Don't assume that the Dutchman's ability to be right on the money from the word go is necessarily a good thing.

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F1 RESULTS: Austrian Grand Prix final classification with all penalties applied

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