Max Verstappen snatched a podium that Red Bull did not really expect at Monza. But Laurent Mekies warns: the team will only be satisfied when it has regained the speed necessary to fight for victory.
Read more Lewis Hamilton reassures the tifosi after tensions with Leclerc
Red Bull regained some ground at the Italian Grand Prix, but Laurent Mekies refuses to consider Max Verstappen’s third place as an end goal. After several difficult weekends, the Dutchman delivered a particularly solid race at Monza to climb onto the podium behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Starting fifth, Verstappen quickly moved up the order and even briefly took the lead of the race. But Mercedes’ superiority eventually made the difference, leaving Red Bull with an encouraging but still insufficient result in the eyes of its director.
The goal is now clearly identified: to regain the pure speed that would allow Verstappen to truly fight for victory.
Verstappen attacks from the first laps
The four-time world champion did not wait long before showing aggression.
After gaining a position on the grid thanks to the penalty given to Oscar Piastri, Verstappen started fifth and quickly overtook Charles Leclerc then Pierre Gasly.
His pace at the start of the race even allowed him to catch up to George Russell.
Verstappen managed to overtake the Mercedes to temporarily take the lead of the Grand Prix, but his advantage did not last. The RB22’s limitations on the long straights quickly allowed Russell to regain first place.
Kimi Antonelli, who made a spectacular comeback from 19th position, then overtook Verstappen in turn.
A podium snatched after falling back to seventh
Red Bull’s strategy also forced Verstappen to rebuild part of his race.
A pit stop made halfway through the race to put on fresher tires pushed him back to seventh position. The Dutchman then had to attack again to get back to the front.
Thanks to several overtakes, he finally managed to climb back up to third place.
For Mekies, this podium rewards both the driver’s performance and the work done by the entire team during a weekend that had started very badly.
“It was a well-deserved podium for Max and for the whole team,” says the Frenchman. “The weekend was intense, but the race showed that our pace was quite solid.”
Red Bull ahead of Ferrari and McLaren “on merit”
While Mercedes was clearly too fast for Red Bull, Mekies notes another particularly encouraging element.
According to him, the RB22 this time had enough pace to beat Ferrari and McLaren without having to rely on favorable circumstances.
“Mercedes was a bit too fast for us, but we were strong enough to beat Ferrari and McLaren on merit.”
An important observation after several races during which Red Bull seemed to have gradually lost ground to its main rivals.
Mekies even believes that Monza probably represents the best performance of the RB22 on long stints in several weeks.
Read more George Russell refuses to break down after his defeat against Antonelli
“It was probably our best race pace in weeks and a step in the right direction.”
“We will not be satisfied” as long as speed is lacking
Despite this progress, the head of Red Bull refuses any triumphalism.
Verstappen’s third place shows that the team can still regularly fight at the front, but also that a gap remains with the current benchmark.
“We will not be satisfied until we have regained that ultimate speed.”
Red Bull still believes it has several avenues to extract more performance from the RB22.
“We clearly still have some challenges to overcome that could allow us to unlock more performance once we understand them.”
The message is therefore clear: the Monza podium is a step, not an end.
Mekies impressed by Verstappen
Mekies also did not fail to highlight the role played by Verstappen in this result.
The Dutchman multiplied offensive maneuvers during the race and had to cope with a car that remained particularly vulnerable on the straights against Mercedes engines.
“Max was incredible on track. He made several very spectacular overtakes and defensive maneuvers.”
The Red Bull director also highlights the aggressiveness of the strategy chosen by the team.
“He followed an aggressive strategy that ultimately led us to the podium.”
A performance all the more remarkable as Verstappen had himself shown deep pessimism at the start of the weekend.
Red Bull finally sees encouraging signs
After the difficult Dutch Grand Prix, where Verstappen had described the RB22 as a car poorly suited to his preferences before retiring on the first lap, Monza therefore marks an important reaction.
Friday in Italy was however not reassuring. Verstappen had finished FP2 only ninth and was still complaining about the balance of his car.
Red Bull then managed to significantly improve its settings between Friday and Saturday, before confirming this progress in the race.
The podium does not, however, mask the reality: when Mercedes fully exploited its potential, Verstappen did not have the weapons necessary to follow Antonelli and Russell.
For Mekies, this is precisely where the next goal now lies. Red Bull has regained enough performance to beat Ferrari and McLaren at Monza, but not yet that “ultimate speed” essential to get back to Mercedes’ level. And as long as this last step is not taken, Verstappen’s podium will remain a provisional satisfaction rather than a true return to the top.
Read more Nico Rosberg mocks Hamilton’s revelations about Ferrari: «A completely absurd Hollywood story»