New energy at Red Bull: Verstappen feels a fresh atmosphere following Horner's exit

With the win in Belgium's sprint race, Max Verstappen brought smiles on the faces at Red Bull Racing after a turbulent period. Undoubtedly, Laurent Mekies, who as team boss of Red Bull Racing couldn't have wished for a better start, was in the best mood. However, later in the day, the Frenchman also saw that there is a long way to go.

Verstappen was fourth during qualifying, after being pushed from the third place by Charles Leclerc at the last moment. But third or fourth, it probably makes little difference with the expected rain during Sunday's Grand Prix. Everyone anticipates a lot of chaos, including crashes and safety cars. And yes, then anything can happen.

Perhaps even a victory for Verstappen, despite the strength of the McLarens? In any case, the Dutchman is aiming for the podium and for Red Bull that would also be a good result and a sign that the team has not collapsed after Christian Horner's departure.

In fact, Red Bull shows resilience. After the second day of action on the track, it was again noticeable that the atmosphere is good and positive at the Austrian racing team - although there are certainly people who did not want to see Horner leave. But they are not sulking, on the contrary.

Max Verstappen was also asked about the atmosphere within the team during a moment with the Dutch media.

"Very good", said the four-time world champion, who indicated that the atmosphere is different.

After a few weeks with Laurent Mekies at the helm, Verstappen is certainly satisfied with the cooperation. With the technically skilled Frenchman, the Dutchman can naturally talk more and deeper about technical matters.

"A different kind of team boss," Verstappen called Mekies. "Maybe the team needs that. Time will tell."