Max Verstappen’s demand for a face-to-face meeting and new engineer was key in regaining Red Bull’s edge, leading to a crucial Suzuka win.
Verstappen demanded a face-to-face meeting and a new engineer to regain control over Red Bull’s performance.
It was Max Verstappen who initiated the urgent technical meeting at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory, right before his crucial win since his pole position in Suzuka. And he made one thing clear: no one could attend the meeting via video conference.
With obvious issues concerning the 2025 car’s pace and handling, and growing rumors surrounding the potential departure of the four-time world champion, Verstappen is now receiving unprecedented praise for his performance.
When asked if his success felt as special to him as it did to the rest of the paddock, Verstappen responded on Sunday evening: “Yes, that’s true.”
“It’s nice, of course, but I’m someone who doesn’t focus on the positives or negatives. I’m just in the middle, you know?”
“I’m very happy with what I’m doing. As I said, I don’t even want to imagine what it would have been like if I had been in that other car,” referring to McLaren, the fastest car at the time.
Red Bull explained that the team had adjusted “every bolt” of the RB21 throughout the weekend, just days after their technical meeting.
“We literally disrupted the car’s setup. Every bolt that could be adjusted. Max worked very hard with the engineering team in Suzuka and at the factory, imposing new methods to set up his F1 car,” said Christian Horner.
This stunning turnaround once again raised questions about the team’s simulation tools.
“These questions inevitably arise, and the most important sensor in the car is the driver,” Horner admitted.
“And I think… all the credit goes to the team this weekend. At the start of the weekend, it felt like we had missed something. We managed to put the car in a decent performance window, and then Max Verstappen showed why he has the number 1 on his car.”
Max Verstappen remains the key to Red Bull’s current success, and the Dutch driver shared his approach.
He acknowledged that he insisted the meeting be in person for all the engineers involved, with no video call participation.
“Do you know what the global issue is right now? A lot of people want to work from home and not from the factory. I think that’s a big problem. It makes people lazy, distracted, and they aren’t fully focused on what they need to do.”
“The same goes for our meetings. Sometimes it’s nice to just look people in the eye. It’s old-school communication.”
One of the outcomes of last week’s in-person meeting was the appointment of a new engineer in Verstappen’s garage: former Sergio Pérez race engineer, Hugh Bird.
“I work very well with GP (Gianpiero Lambiase), and I also had another performance engineer this weekend, Hugh Bird. I worked with Hugh in the past, up until 2020. It went very well. In the end, we made the right choices before qualifying.”
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Verstappen’s Demands: How He Took Control at Red Bull
Verstappen’s Demands: How He Took Control at Red Bull