The renewal with Red Bull
The last Dutch Grand Prix ended already during the first lap for Max Verstappen, who with an unusual mistake said goodbye in the worst way to his home crowd in Zandvoort. Yet, even before the start, the four-time world champion had announced the contract renewal with Red Bull until 2030, putting an end to all rumors about a possible move to another team or, even, retirement from F1.
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The same team principal Laurent Mekies, during the weekend, expressed all his satisfaction for the agreement reached with the Dutchman, highlighting the goals to be achieved together: “We take very, very seriously the trust he is showing us. It imposes a huge responsibility on us, that of providing him with the package he will need to fight for wins again. But at Red Bull Racing we want nothing more than to return to the top as soon as possible, and we know that is what Max wants too.” At the Zandvoort weekend, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg was also present, now a TV commentator for Sky Sports F1.
Rosberg’s questions and Mekies’ answers
The former Mercedes driver wanted to ask two questions to Mekies himself, but found a firm ‘no’ from the French engineer: “Laurent, I also heard from Max’s entourage that one of the reasons they really appreciate is the way you took over the team, the culture you are establishing and how you are carrying it forward. So, congratulations on that. But I also have to ask, what I hear is a contract of about 80 million dollars a year. Is that true? Is it a figure close to the real one? It’s a huge amount.”
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Mekies thus answered both of Rosberg’s questions: “Both statements are not correct – he replied – it all comes down to the trust Max places in the 2,000 people we have in Milton Keynes, both regarding the chassis and the power unit. He knows what our employees are capable of and has chosen to place his trust in us for the future. So, we will try to repay him. For us, he is much more than the fastest driver in the world and we will do everything possible to provide him with a competitive car as soon as possible.”
