Team principal Laurent Mekies has opened up about the ambitious tyre strategy, Red Bull’s turnaround from Hungary, the objectives for the remainder of the season, and the pit wall’s reaction to Max Verstappen recovering from a wild slide on the opening lap of the F1 Dutch GP to gain a position.
After qualifying in third place behind the rapid McLarens at Zandvoort, Verstappen had a superb launch off the line in Sunday’s race on a set of fresh softs. He ran side-by-side with Lando Norris around the first two corners.
The Dutchman then encountered an almighty snap into Turn 3 after going around the outside of Norris. However, he managed to hold position and stay ahead of the McLaren driver.
Although the Brit regained the position on Lap 9, his dramatic retirement from the race on Lap 65 meant that Verstappen ultimately took the chequered flag in second place on his home soil.
Soft tyres for initial advantage
Speaking in a print media session after the F1 race, Laurent Mekies commented on Red Bull’s decision to start Sunday’s Dutch GP on the soft compound tyres. He revealed that multiple factors had shaped their strategy.
Emphasising how overtaking is rather difficult on a circuit like Zandvoort, Mekies explained that bolting on the soft tyres was the only way Verstappen could’ve taken the fight to the superior McLarens in the early stages of the chaotic Dutch GP.
“It was a combination of several things.
“I guess at first it was the only chance we could at least temporarily get to fight with the McLaren. We knew they had a very significant pace advantage.
“It’s never crystal clear how long before you can hold the car behind you, even if it’s faster than you. So we knew at the start it’s a decent advantage.”
Hard tyres no longer preferable after Friday practice
Noting how Verstappen was the only driver in the top ten to have saved a set of fresh softs after qualifying, Laurent Mekies further elaborated that they had opted for the alternative strategy since the 27-year-old was dissatisfied with the performance of the hard compounds during Friday’s practice sessions.
Mekies also admitted that the aggressive soft-medium tyre strategy put Verstappen at a disadvantage towards the end of his opening stint at the F1 Dutch GP. Nonetheless, he surmised that the Dutchman had a high likelihood of finishing on the podium regardless of the multiple retirements that significantly shuffled the pecking order on Sunday.
“We were, I think, the only car in the top ten to have a new set of softs. So, we knew the other guys would not be too tempted to go for it.
“And in fairness, Max [Verstappen] hadn’t been exactly super happy with his hard run on Friday. And so the perspective to do medium-hard was not super exciting for us.
“So, we knew soft-medium would’ve been super aggressive. But that’s the choice we’ve made to do the super aggressive one.
“Obviously it exposed Max in the second part of the stint on softs. We had to deal with it. But he managed to do a very good job and probably would have made it in a soft-medium straight race to put it to 2-3.”
Red Bull glad Hungary was a one-off
At the Hungarian GP before the summer break, Verstappen had struggled with the balance of the RB21 and crossed the line in a lowly ninth place behind the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson.
In terms of the many similarities Circuit Zandvoort shares with the high-downforce Hungaroring track and how Red Bull have managed to take a big step forward with regard to understanding the car, Laurent Mekies’s optimism was quite tempered.
Expressing relief that their poor showing in Hungary was an anomaly, the 48-year-old appeared somewhat surprised that Red Bull managed to deliver a strong performance at a similar circuit. Nevertheless, Mekies revealed that they are still discontented with the massive pace advantage McLaren had over them at the Dutch GP on Sunday.
“So you are putting it very kindly. I put it a bit more neutral.
“I think at least it shows that Budapest was a one-off, which is, in this room, three weeks ago, that’s what we said to each other. We were hoping Budapest would be a one-off. It shows it was a one-off.
“It’s quite interesting because it has fairly similar characteristics to Budapest. It’s a little bit, a touch faster.
“And ultimately we were the second force here, which is not something we are happy with. Because the gap to McLaren was still punishing in the race. When they wanted to push, they have been able to push to disappear.”
Goals for the remaining nine rounds
Laurent Mekies acknowledged that Verstappen finishing comfortably ahead of the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers at the F1 Dutch GP was a positive sign. However, he also maintained that they are not entirely content with their progress so far, given the challenges they are still experiencing in terms of finding the right set-up for the tricky Red Bull car.
Admitting that both championships are already out of their reach, the Frenchman added that they are now concentrating their efforts on gaining further understanding of the project that has failed to meet their expectations.
“We are under no illusions. But here on this track, unlike Budapest, we have been able to deal with the Mercedes. We have been able to deal with the Ferrari. So that’s encouraging.
“Are we happy? No. Because, as we said, we struggled quite a lot to put the car into the right spot between Friday morning and Saturday qualifying. But it’s encouraging. It was also a cold Zandvoort.
“Let’s continue to learn. It’s not so much about championship positions for the remaining nine races. It’s about using everything we can to keep building the understanding, especially on a project that was sub-optimum compared to what we were hoping for.”
Verstappen’s Lap 1 heroics amazed the team
Asked to comment on the reactions that Verstappen’s brilliant opening lap save elicited from the Red Bull pit wall, Laurent Mekies confessed that they were in disbelief of how the reigning champion had recovered from the snap and managed to keep Norris at bay.
Noting that he had pulled off a similar move in the Sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, the Red Bull team principal heaped praise on their star driver, Verstappen. Despite anticipating his daring manoeuvre on the first lap of Sunday’s Dutch GP, Mekies was effusive about the Dutchman’s instincts and prowess on the track.
“I tell you what, on the pit wall [on] Lap 1, as much as we work with him every day, we were still amazed by what he managed to pull off. So that’s how it was.
“We were like, how did he do that? How did he make the move? And how did he keep it on track?
“So, again, it’s a bit like in Spa, when he got the McLaren on the Sprint start. He knew he had one shot, he knew it was now, and he gave it all. And he still leaves us with no words when you see that. So, big well done.”
