Max Verstappen the ‘glue’ of Red Bull as huge Mekies task list outlined

With Max Verstappen the “glue” holding Red Bull together, new team boss Laurent Mekies has been urged to resolve their star driver’s future.

That call comes from former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, but as Mekies was also implored by F1 presenter Tom Clarkson to make Red Bull a “two-car team” again, the list of major jobs to tackle is quickly filling up.

Can Laurent Mekies steady the Red Bull ship?

With Red Bull sat P4 in the Constructors’ Championship at the halfway point in F1 2025, the decision was made to sack Christian Horner with immediate effect following the British Grand Prix, bringing his stint of 20+ years at the helm of Red Bull Racing to an end.

Red Bull swiftly announced that Mekies would take his place, stepping up from Racing Bulls team principal to Red Bull Racing CEO, and there is important business to take care of as a matter of urgency, according to Palmer.

Red Bull’s inability to hang with McLaren in the title race has sparked fresh speculation over Verstappen‘s future with the team, Mercedes once more being touted as an escape route.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said: “There are really big things he needs to address immediately, and the driver line-up is obviously one of them.

“And Max Verstappen’s contract and all the rumours, falls in the same time as Christian is ousted from the team. So I think that’s one thing that Laurent, with the hierarchy of Red Bull, needs to try and knuckle down.

“Can they keep their star driver? Because Max, at the moment, seems to be the glue that’s just holding this whole team together right now.

“If you take out Max from Red Bull… They’ve lost all the old management – Helmut Marko is still there in an advisory capacity – but a lot of the race team have gone from senior positions, yet Max is still able to deliver pole position at Silverstone. He’s still able to direct the team.

“GP [Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull’s head of racing and Verstappen’s race engineer] is obviously now going to be a central figure as well, who’s got a great relationship with Max.

“But, the other driver is a big question mark as well, and that’s where Laurent has got some great experience working with Yuki Tsunoda before, and others, to try and sort out what’s going on there.

“But the whole dynamic of the drivers is probably his first thing to try and get on top of.”

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Verstappen has developed the reputation of a Red Bull team-mate killer over recent years, but the lack of contribution from the second car is becoming an increasingly fatal flaw for the team.

Red Bull has scored 172 points this season, 165 of those provided by Verstappen, while Tsunoda is on just 10 points, seven scored with Red Bull since his promotion from Racing Bulls.

F1 press conference and F1 Nation host Tom Clarkson said Mekies must restore Red Bull to a team where both cars deliver.

“And turn this into a two-car team,” he declared, adding to Mekies’ list of tasks. “I mean, without Max Verstappen, Red Bull would be last in the Constructors’ Championship this year. That is how significant his influence is.

“And yes, he’s worked with Yuki Tsunoda before, but it’s kind of more than just getting the best out of Yuki, isn’t it?

“We’ve seen over the last seven years or so, ever since Daniel Ricciardo left the team, that that second car hasn’t performed anything like as effectively as the first car.

“And I think that has to be Mekies’, if not job number one, but very near the top of the list, to get it operating as a two-car team, to get this team properly challenging for the Constructors’ Championship. Because when you look at the effectiveness of McLaren, you can’t compete with them if you’ve only got one car.”

McLaren are marching towards the title double. Oscar Piastri is 69 points clear of P3 Verstappen at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, while in the Constructors’, McLaren are 238 points ahead of closest rival Ferrari, and 288 points up on Red Bull.

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