Mekies: Red Bull is hugely committed to Verstappen

Mekies will make his debut as Red Bull Racing boss this weekend at Spa, taking over the duties of Christian Horner, who had remained in this role for 20 years—since the late Dietrich Mateschitz acquired the faltering Jaguar Formula 1 team back in 2005.

Mekies will have a lot on his plate, as the operation Horner leaves behind is far from ideal. The team are struggling with their 2025 single-seater, which only Verstappen can drive. They are on their second #2 driver this season, Yuki Tsunoda, who also seems unable to drive the RB21 any better than his predecessor, Liam Lawson.

Red Bull Racing are no longer contenders for the 2025 F1 Constructors' Title, while Verstappen is having to watch his chances of retaining his Drivers' Crown diminish every Grand Prix weekend, as he is now 69 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

To make matters worse, Verstappen's future with Red Bull Racing has been in question lately despite having a contract with the team till the end of the 2028 F1 season, as there are reports the Dutchman is in talks with Mercedes regarding a potential move, while Aston Martin F1 has also been identified as a future destination for him.

Verstappen said Horner's firing doesn't affect his decision on his future with Red Bull Racing, and Mekies now has announced the team's commitment to their star driver.

"The truth is Red Bull is hugely committed to Max," the Frenchman said in Spa on Thursday. "And the way we can be hugely committed to Max is by giving him the best possible car.

"And giving him the best possible car is what every single person in the company wants more than anything else. So that's where the effort is made really. And the rest will be a consequence.

"But of course, Max is central to the project and he's key to the project and we need his magic at the racetrack," he said of the driver that has been dragging the RB21 race in race out to remain in contention.

"He has been with the team for a very long time and he has huge inputs in helping us driving the next competitive edge that we will need to build."

"I think the team has everything to do that," Mekies responded when asked if his team can deliver a competitive car worthy of Verstappen's talents.

"It has the means. It has the spirit. And more importantly, it has the talents. So in short, yeah, I think we have everything to be able to give that to our drivers," he concluded.

(Quotes from F1.com)