New Red Bull boss surprised by Max Verstappen's awe-inspiring effect on his F1 rivals

New Red Bull CEO and Team Principal, Laurent Mekies, has opened up on the unbelievable Max Verstappen effect in F1. The Frenchman was appointed in the leadership role to replace Christian Horner, whom the team abruptly fired in early July.

Mekies was promoted from Team Principal of Racing Bulls, the junior team of Red Bull, to the top managerial spot at the senior team. Red Bull recently commemorated Max Verstappen reaching the milestone of 200 F1 race starts at the Hungarian GP with a short YouTube documentary.

In the "Behind the Charge" video, Mekies spoke about an untold conversation he had with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar when the news of his promotion to Red Bull CEO and TP became public. Mekies shared how awestruck Hadjar was on his behalf upon knowing that the 48-year-old would be working directly with Verstappen.

"When the news broke that I will join the team, I remember seeing Isack. The only thing he could say was, 'Laurent, you are going to work with Max.' (I said), 'Yeah, yeah, I know it's crazy.' (He said), 'No, no, but you don't realize you're going to work with Max,'"Laurent Mekies said. [5:15 onwards].

"That's the effect he (Verstappen) has on the fans we know, but also on his colleagues, you know, the other drivers."

Other F1 rookies, including Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson, also spoke their hearts out about what a great mentor Max Verstappen has been to them. The Dutchman is often misunderstood by many F1 fans as someone who doesn't have good relationships with the other drivers in the paddock and loses his calm quickly when things don't go in his favor on the racetrack.

While the four-time F1 champion has sporadically lost his cool on team radio over the years, he looks like a mature driver in 2025. Red Bull no longer has the fastest car, but Verstappen has managed to extract the best out of it without unabashed revolting.

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Gabriel Bortoleto reveals Max Verstappen's real nature when the F1 cameras are off

Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortolet, and Max Verstappen at the 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

In 2025, Max Verstappen has been often seen interacting with F1 rookies, especially Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In the aforementioned Red Bull video, Bortoleto spoke highly of the 65-time Grand Prix winner's nature and what fans don't see when the cameras are on.

"Maybe he doesn't show this to the cameras, or people don't actually see how great of a person he is, and how good of a heart he has for young people, and how much he's willing to help. Everything he achieved in this sport and still how humble he is, it's the aim for every driver to keep in that level," the Brazilian driver said.

Verstappen's chances of winning a fifth consecutive F1 championship have been thrown out the window this season. McLaren remains the top dog in the continuation of the latter part of 2024, and nearly has both drivers' and constructors' championships secured.