Mekies hopes Red Bull have finally fixed Verstappen’s radio issues
Photo: Race Pictures
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Laurent Mekies hopes Red Bull have found a lasting solution to Max Verstappen’s radio problems after making several changes ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen said technical issues with Red Bull's team radio were a "disaster" after he struggled to communicate with his team at the United States Grand Prix, after also having issues in Singapore. It was part of a list of issues that Verstappen raised after finishing third in Austin.
Speaking in between the two practice sessions on Friday ahead of this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, Mekies explained that the team have carried out an extensive investigation, with the aim of improving the overall quality of their communications and preventing the issue from returning.
“Hopefully we have a fix for this race. So the guys have been doing a very big deep dive to make sure it's not only going away for a race or two, but to make sure we also make a step in the quality of our communication."
Mekies revealed that Red Bull had introduced several changes for the weekend, with the initial feedback suggesting an improvement across both cars. He spoke after Verstappen sat out FP1, before returning to the car in FP2 - where he finished fifth.
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“There have been a lot of changes for this weekend, and Max hasn't been driving yet, but this morning it was certainly at a much better level on both cars, so I hope it is definitely fixed now.”
Mekies unfazed by Horner claims
During his press conference, Mekies said the atmosphere has changed at Red Bull since Christian Horner's departure from the team.
Horner said that the Austrian outfit is no longer what it was since he left and had lost its 'mojo'.
In response, Mekies said: "Look, at first, Christian is entitled to his opinion. He obviously spent a lot of time in this team and I respect his point of view."
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He added: "We certainly feel extremely different about the vibe in the team. I think one of the strong points we have been enjoying certainly in the last few months is the incredible team spirit that have allowed us to come back from an objectively very difficult moment. It's one thing to have a positive spirit when you are winning races, it's something else to have that same fighting spirit and remain united when you are put under pressure."
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