As of the Dutch Grand Prix, the team were able to find the ‘sweetspot’ in the RB21’s operative window. This window has now grown larger in a joint push by Red Bull’s technical team and four-time world champion Verstappen, Marko claims.

"All the changes and adjustments have come together perfectly," the 82-year-old said in an interview with Formule 1 magazine. "That's why the car is more competitive now."

This performance surge has allowed Verstappen to take huge chunks off the McLaren drivers’ gap in the Drivers’ Standings, reducing it dramatically from 104 points, down to 37 in just five Grand Prix weekends.

Marko also gives much credit to the reigning world champion for the revival of his championship hopes, whose feedback has been essential for Red Bull’s technical staff to find their way again, following the loss of form experienced by the team which can be traced back to the first half of the 2024 campaign.

He continued."With his experience, Max now has an important voice in the technical discussions again.

"It was important that the engineers started listening to Max more. They did it before, but not to the extent they do now," Marko added, stressing that before the team relied more on the data that stemmed from the simulations and the CFD findings, saying it was "more about numbers".

According to the team’s chief adviser, the combination of Max’s input, and the technical staff’s ability to put it into action has had a fundamental impact on the car’s re-awakening and the Dutch driver’s re-introduction to the championship picture.

"Max told the engineers what he needed, which gave him more confidence in the car and made it easier to drive. The car's working window has become larger," Marko concluded.

F1 analyst Martin Brundle says Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies’ no ego, engineering-led approach exemplifies a new era of team principals and is a key reason Christian Horner would not return to his former role.

Praising Mekies’ "mature" leadership, Brundle observes that a new type of F1 team boss is currently emerging, labeling the Frenchman as "the right man for the right time in Formula 1." Read his full statements here.

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