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It came after a performance decline for Red Bull, which since cruising to the 2023 title has slipped to fourth in the pecking order behind McLaren<\/a>, Ferrari<\/a> and Mercedes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Red Bull has improved in the four grands prix since Mekies joined though, having claimed a podium through Max Verstappen<\/a> in the previous two races including a win last time out at Monza, plus Verstappen\u2019s sprint win in Belgium.<\/p>\n So, speaking after the Italian GP, Red Bull\u2019s motorsport adviser Marko revealed his delight at the changes made by Mekies, particularly on the technical side of which the team boss has a long history in having been a race engineer at Minardi in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole technical team is more open and they discuss things,\u201d said Marko. \u201cThey are not blind to what the simulation says.\u201d<\/p>\n Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n This includes more reliance on driver feedback, as it is understood certain members of the team wanted a higher downforce set-up for the Italian GP – much to Verstappen\u2019s disliking.<\/p>\n So the four-time world champion pushed against a set-up change and Verstappen eventually got his wish, leading to him dominating from pole ahead of both McLarens in second and third.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cThe engineers are listening more to the driver. If you have such a fast and experienced driver, I think that’s the right way,\u201d added Marko.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to drive it and it is important that our top speed is improving. We saw we could drive away from the McLarens and also some other changes – the driver’s input was recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n The appointment of Mekies as Red Bull boss follows a recent trend of F1 teams appointing ex-engineers ahead of the regulation switch in 2026.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Last year, Haas replaced Guenther Steiner with erstwhile trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu, leading McLaren is former Ferrari engineer Andrea Stella, while Mekies\u2019 successor at Racing Bulls is ex-Renault race engineer Alan Permane.<\/p>\n James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams and Alan Permane, Team Principal of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls talk on the drivers parade. James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams and Alan Permane, Team Principal of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls talk on the drivers parade.<\/p>\n It shows a trend of moving away from the all-encompassing, business-like leaders such as Horner, with Mekies in charge of leading Red Bull into the new era which will include using an in-house power unit for the first time since the Austrian outfit joined F1 in 2005.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cAppointing him was the right decision,\u201d Marko told Servus TV. \u201cGiven the complexity of Formula 1, having a technical expert at the top is probably the better solution.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s now much more structured from a technical perspective. And when everything works together, and the driver is integrated into the process, you can see the results. The car isn\u2019t fundamentally different, but with this level of coordination, we can deliver such performances.\u201d<\/p>\n Marko is more optimistic for the final eight rounds of the 2025 campaign, which starts with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix before heading to Singapore – a venue Verstappen is still yet to win at.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cWith the speed we\u2019ve shown, we should hopefully be able to compete on our own merit at almost every circuit,\u201d added Marko on Servus TV.\u00a0\u201cSingapore would be special – it\u2019s the only race we\u2019ve never won. But maybe it\u2019ll work out there too; we weren\u2019t bad in Zandvoort [Verstappen finished second] either.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still fine-tuning and refining things. If we can keep improving like this, that would be fantastic. The championship is gone, but a few more wins would be very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n Red Bull needs more “clean samples” to judge Yuki Tsunoda as F1 2026 call nears <\/a><\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/6a34f5d0c65590cad4a666769274974e.jpeg\"\/)
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