Mekies believes Verstappen deserved more: 'Max was probably a touch faster than George'

For the first time this season, the four-time world champion fought for victory from start to finish, finishing almost within striking distance of winner George Russell and making up for the crash in qualifying that had compromised his chances of starting further up the grid today.

The Dutchman also jokingly pointed out that, despite trailing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 98 points, there are more races remaining than at the same stage last season, meaning there is still time to close the sizeable gap in the drivers' standings and potentially mount another title challenge against the Mercedes duo.

Speaking after the race, Mekies described it as Red Bull's strongest performance of the season, saying the progress made with the RB22 had already been visible in qualifying, even if it had been difficult to quantify. He added that fighting so closely for victory at a demanding circuit in extremely hot conditions was a testament to the work carried out at Milton Keynes and praised Verstappen's performance throughout every phase of the race.

The Frenchman admitted Red Bull ultimately fell just short of victory by the smallest of margins, while pointing out that starting positions also played a decisive role. He also felt Antonelli was probably the fastest of the leading trio overall, with Verstappen having a slight pace advantage over Russell, describing the battle at the front as an encouraging sign for the remainder of the season.

Finally, Mekies praised the work carried out by the entire team at Milton Keynes, highlighting the progress Red Bull has made since the opening rounds of the season. He pointed out that the team has gone from being more than a second off the pace to fighting within the final tenths, describing it as a major achievement. The Frenchman also stressed that the development race is far from over, insisting Red Bull still has more upgrades in the pipeline as it looks to take the final step and consistently challenge for victories.