The final standings are set, Max Verstappen has given up his crown of F1 World Champion to Lando Norris, and the 2025 Formula 1 season is officially over.
Laurent Mekies has offered some insight into the Red Bull teams’ 2025 racing ethos, with the team finishing third in the Constructors’ Championship.
Their junior team, Racing Bulls, finished a respectable sixth in the standings.
Red Bull pushing the limit in the 2025 F1 season says Laurent Mekies
Under the leadership of Christian Horner, Red Bull were not afraid to be aggressive both on and off track. It led to plenty of controversy and annoyance amongst other teams, particularly Toto Wolff and Mercedes.
Since the French engineer took over following Horner’s exit after two decades back in July, Red Bull have been very different under his leadership.
When questioned on whether the teams have softened their historically combative edge after Verstappen did not back up the field in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Mekies said, “I don’t know if you want to call it the edge or not.
“I think we had a very strong fight, but we had a fair and clean fight. It’s the way we go racing.”
He continued, noting that they maintained sporting integrity in a year where they almost hunted down McLaren in the Drivers’ Championship with the four-time World Champion.
While Yuki Tsunoda made a mess of his defending against Lando Norris, far worse has been done in the past.
“We push everything to the limit, but we certainly respect the competition. But make no mistake, everything is pushed to the limit and sometimes beyond.
“But when it comes to sporting fairness and respecting the competition, we think we can do both.”
For Mekies, the mission remains to be a “giant” in the battle, even if the championship silverware ended up with McLaren this time around.
“This sport is a battle between giants. We feel very strongly in that fight and we respect our competitors.”
Honda partnership with Red Bull comes to an end in 2025
Mekies spoke about the conclusion of one of the sport’s most successful modern partnerships, their alliance with Honda.
Having powered Verstappen to his four consecutive F1 World Championships, the Japanese manufacturer’s involvement now concludes. The end of an era coincides with a shift in the competitive landscape.
Honda will work with Aston Martin next year.
“Look, it’s been an unbelievable success story,” Mekies reflected, focusing on legacy.
“Behind the numbers, there is such a close and strong partnership. Such a great mutual understanding.”
Acknowledging the immediate shift from friend to foe, he said, “Yes, it’s finished tonight. We are going to be competitors next year. But it doesn’t matter. We will always be friends, even if competitors.”
Mekies suggested that the RB-Honda combination may yet fire up for nostalgic displays.
“As you guys know, we may still be able to run this car in the future. So I see some good old faces with the Honda engine in the car,” he said.
As the Honda power unit era draws to a close, Red Bull now faces the challenge of forging a new, winning identity with its own power unit alongside Ford.
