Max ahead of Spa: 'Happy where I am'

Published on 24 July 2025 by Stefan Meens

Ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps, Max Verstappen addressed the international media at the customary media session on a Thursday. As it is the first race since the announcement that Laurent Mekies has taken over the team principal duties from Christian Horner at Oracle Red Bull Racing, it was a well-attended media session

“The shareholders and management of Red Bull decided they wanted a chance”, said Max in the Spa paddock. “In the end, they are the ones that head up Oracle Red Bull Racing and I’m their driver. They are the ones that make such decisions. If I reflect on the twenty years of Christian leading the team, we’ve had great years and achievements. Of course, there were lesser years, like the last year and a half when things didn’t go the way we wanted it.”

The four-time champion added: “Of course we appreciate these twenty years, also from my point of view. I’ve been part of Red Bull for eleven years so the memories will always stay. The relationship between Christian and myself hasn’t changed; it’s still as a second family to me.”

The day after the announcement of Horner's departure, Max was scheduled to work in the simulator at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes. It proved a good opportunity to get to know Laurent Mekies, who has stepped into the role of team principal. “I’m looking forward to working with Laurent, we’ve already had a few meetings. The last two weeks were intense for him, but he is really motivated, which I appreciate. You can see the fire in his eyes as he takes on this new role. We want to improve and Laurent is a smart and nice guy who has experience in several different places and positions in the Formula 1 paddock. That can be useful.”

“It is also exciting for the team, because we need to look forward. Looking back won’t make us faster. The only thing that’s important is to keep working on the car and make it as fast as possible. We’ll try to be more competitive this year, but especially with the new regulations next year.

Looking ahead to the future, Max remained realistic: “Life is unpredictable, but I’m happy where I am. I hope, and that was the goal we set when we extended our contract, to drive here until the end of my career."

Contest Belgian GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!