Laurent Mekies went straight to evaluating Red Bull Racing’s performance at the Formula 1 Dutch GP. The team principal stated that there is no hiding the drop in performance shown by the team in Zandvoort.
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The weekend was especially difficult for the team, which saw Max Verstappen retire right on the first lap in his home race, after spinning alone and hitting the barrier. Mekies initially highlighted that the most important thing was the driver coming out unscathed from the accident.
“It was a tough weekend in Zandvoort. First of all, I think the most important thing is that Max is okay. It was quite a heavy crash and we are all happy to see him out of the car, uninjured, and that is what matters most,” he said.
In the Frenchman’s assessment, however, Red Bull’s performance also showed a clear drop compared to previous rounds: “In terms of performance, I think there is nowhere to hide. It was a very difficult weekend. It seems we took a small step back compared to where we were before the break,” he added.
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The executive continued, saying the team still needs to find out whether the competitors simply evolved more with their updates or if some specific factor limited the car’s performance in Zandvoort: “We have a tough job ahead to reorganize ourselves and understand if it was simply the competition that did a better job updating the car, or if something limited us more than it should have here,” he concluded.
While Verstappen was unable to finish the race, Liam Lawson finished seventh after taking over the car for the round. Mekies praised the New Zealander, highlighting that he was just a tenth behind his teammate in qualifying and took advantage of the opportunities available to score points. The Red Bull chief also stated that the team will have the next two weeks to work before seeking a reaction in Monza.
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