Mekies stays humble: '1500 people made this victory possible'

20:43, 07 Sep

Updated: 20:49, 07 Sep

byLudo van Denderen

Max Verstappen's victory marked Laurent Mekies' first as a team principal in Formula 1. The understated way the Frenchman reacted to this result was testament to his character.

Mekies focused on the team's achievement, no matter how much international media tried to provoke the team principal into a juicy headline.

He stayed humble, focusing on the bigger picture and the task he faces since replacing Christian Horner as boss of the former world champions.

Mekies praises Red Bull's employees

Asked by GPblog what does this first victory means for him, he said: "In this sort of moment, you think about the team back in Milton Keynes, [after] the tough start to the season, when things are not working the way you would like them to work.

"When you are missing that ultimate pace, you question everything, that's the way we are. That's the way competition is. You question everything.

"What's great in the team is that they kept an open mind. They did question everything in a very constructive way.

"It's a lot of hard work. You don't always get the positive feedback on the tracks as what we got today.

"The thoughts are very much with everyone in Milton Keynes that have been pushing so hard not to give up."

Verstappen beat McLaren drivers in Italy

Mekies has made a positive impression during his first months in charge at Red Bull Racing.

No matter how difficult the challenge is, he seems to have everyone pushing in the right direction and also created a positive vibe within the team.

Mekies does not need credit for Verstappen's victory

Mekies was asked again about his role in Verstappen's victory. He was asked about whether his background in engineering had led him to contribute to the win by making set-up changes to Verstappen's car.

"The level of contribution is zero. I'm not joking either," the team principal said.

"It’s 1 ,500 people working on making the car faster. So these are the contributions of these talents that make the car faster, that make the hundreds and make the thousands, make the setup options available, and makes the new components available. The short answer is zero," he concluded.