Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged after Max Verstappen’s win at the F1 Italian GP that their car was better suited to the lower downforce circuits, and that they would continue to take “risks” with the setup to better develop the car on the other tracks.
From doom to delight: consecutive podiums for Verstappen
The win was a reversal of fortune for Verstappen and Red Bull, who until the previous week at Zandvoort had not seen the podium since Canada and just two races ago saw Verstappen saying they wouldn’t win another race this season after coming in 9th at Hungary.
“We take risks to get to the maximum understanding possible of what has limited the project this year. And we took risks in Budapest, and it was an extremely poor weekend. Hence Max’s comments. Fair enough, because we put our drivers in difficult situations. But we do that to learn. We are getting some payback today.”
Mekies: upgrade “a small step” to Red Bull’s F1 Italian GP win
The RB21 did benefit from a floor upgrade going into Monza, but Mekies seemed to minimize the degree to which that contributed to the win.
“We are confident it’s a small step in the right direction. So, you know, it’s not a few tenths, to be clear. It’s a small quantity, but everything adds up.”
Success on fast tracks not “a dedicated strategy”
When asked if it was a strategic focus of the team to maximize their ability at these faster circuits, Mekies downplayed it: “I think I would lie if I was telling you it’s a dedicated strategy. It’s what we find out against competition. We seem to be performing better in medium to low downforce track compared to high to very high.”
And while Mekies also pointed out the “specific” nature of the ultra-low downforce setup needed to win at Monza, he called the feedback “good learning” going forward. “The extent of the learning, we will see where it takes us in the next few races.”
