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Laurent Mekies and Zak Brown during the US Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

Mekies confident: 'McLaren no longer hold the advantage they once had'

14:07, 21 Oct

Updated: 14:57, 21 Oct

bySamson Ero

Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has stated that McLaren’s advantage over the Formula 1 grid has waned.

“They don’t have the advantage they had in the first part of the season anymore.”

- Laurent Mekies

The Red Bull chief, who spoke to GPblog during the United States Grand Prix, revealed how his side has closed the gap to the papaya-coloured outfit over recent races. Mekies further stated that the current landscape between the top four teams have become much more competitive, with multiple teams capable of clinching victories depending on their execution.

“In terms of relative performance, they don’t have the advantage they had in the first part of the season anymore compared to us.”

“We are not in a situation, even back in Spa when we won the sprint, we were still a fair half a second slower than them every lap. Even in Zandvoort, after the shutdown, we were still probably half a second slower every lap.”

Red Bull Racing team principal, Laurent Mekies - Photo: RacePictures

“That has now gone, and we are in a situation where you go to a race weekend and you have three or four teams that can fight for the win. If they extract everything they can, they can produce on that track.”

Mekies: No team is in a dominant position

Doubling down on his claim, the 48-year-old reiterated he doesn't believe that any team have the advantage over the final stretch of the campaign. The Red Bull team principal further stated that results could come down to mastering tracks and conditions.

“I don’t think anyone is in a dominant position. Everyone of the remaining races will be about which one of these four teams is nailing that track. Every race will come down to which team masters the layout, the conditions, the temperatures, and the tyres, and then they win the race.”

The McLaren team have seen their early-season dominance challenged by the Red Bull and Mercedes teams, particularly after the resumption of the second half of the season. The Woking-based outfit are yet to taste race victory since the Dutch Grand Prix.

Earlier, team principal, Andrea Stella, alluded to the fact that the Red Bull team have closed the gap on his side.