Mekies after sprint and qualifying: 'Impressive milestone'

Published on 10 October 2026 by Yvonne Huijs

Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, said after Saturday in Singapore: "Max has been extremely strong throughout the weekend. He took Pole and victory in the Sprint in tricky conditions and delivered another stunning performance this evening. It was a very closely fought Qualifying session, and he was able to put everything together when it mattered. Fifty career poles is an impressive milestone and a reflection of the level he has maintained over many years. Today is also a result the whole Team can be proud of. The car has now been quickest in three consecutive Qualifying sessions and the positive trend we first saw in Monza has continued through Madrid, Baku, Sepang and now here. That reflects the hard work that has gone in across the Team to keep improving the package. Having said that, tomorrow will present a different challenge. We know Qualifying is particularly important at this circuit and today was another encouraging step in preparing for the race, but the start and the first stint will be critical. We know there are still areas where we can improve and it will not be easy to maintain track position, so our focus now is on understanding where we can be stronger tomorrow."

Speaking about Isack, he said: "I would like to apologise to Isack, as he has had very limited running opportunities this weekend. The crew in the garage did a truly incredible job to get the car ready for Qualifying, after the issue in the Sprint and in SQ yesterday, but unfortunately, we then encountered a gearbox problem which we are still investigating. Starting from the back will make tomorrow difficult, but he has shown many times this season that he approaches every challenge in the right way and we will fight together to come back through the field."