F1 CEO reminds Red Bull of huge Max Verstappen responsibility in post-Christian Horner era

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has reminded Red Bull of its responsibility to give its four-time champion driver, Max Verstappen, a "better car". Domenicali highlighted how the Milton Keynes outfit needs to build an ecosystem around the Dutchman to resurrect its place at the top of F1.

Since the beginning of 2024, Red Bull had been in turmoil, with then-Team Principal Christian Horner getting accused of inappropriate behavior by a female colleague. That case led to the unearthing of a separate ugly 'power struggle' within the team, eventually leading to the exits of several high-profile talent, including technical mastermind Adrian Newey.

Christian Horner with Max Verstappen at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix - Practice - Source: Getty

In July 2025, Red Bull terminated Horner as the team's on-track performance continued to worsen. Racing Bulls TP Laurent Mekies replaced him as Team Principal of Red Bull. Stefano Domenicali believes that under this new regime, Max Verstappen can return to being a championship contender if he gets the right support from Red Bull machinery.

"Within the new team structure, I think Red Bull has to provide him (Verstappen) with a better car. But they will definitely work 100% on that. Laurent will work with an ecosystem built around Verstappen, within which Verstappen can fully focus. He naturally wants to win and be the fastest every lap. Verstappen will help the team get back on top," Domenicali told RN365.

The F1 CEO also called Max Verstappen a "phenomenal driver, the best driver," and highlighted how the four-time and reigning F1 champion has "matured" as a person.

Max Verstappen credits Laurent Mekies' crucial role in Red Bull's turnaround after Italian GP win

Max Verstappen with Laurent Mekies and Yuki Tsunoda at the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Red Bull stopped being the dominant force in mid-2024, and its performance continued to decline, as McLaren took over the constructors' crown. However, under Laurent Mekies' leadership, the Milton Keynes outfit has witnessed a quick turnaround, at least in Max Verstappen's results.

While the second driver struggles continue for Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen has had an impressive surge in pace post-summer break. He finished on the podium at the Dutch GP, his home race, and triumphed at the next race at Monza.

The Dutchman's Italian GP drive was a masterclass, as he won with a 19-second margin over Lando Norris, after starting on pole position. In the post-race press conference, Verstappen acknowledged the effect Laurent Mekies has had on the engineering department.

"Up until now, we've had a lot of races where we were just shooting left and right a little bit with the setup of the car. Quite extreme changes, which shows that we were not in control. We were not fully understanding what to do.

With Laurent having an engineering background, he's asking the right questions to the engineers — common-sense questions. So I think that works really well," Verstappen said via fia.com.

While Verstappen spoke highly of Laurent Mekies' impact, the Red Bull Team Principal humbly admitted he has had "zero" contribution in the team's success, and that it is the 1500 people working on the car who need to be thanked.