Formula 1 Sao Paulo GP
Laurent Mekies admits "bold" Red Bull setup sent Max Verstappen backwards in Brazil GP qualifying
A bold qualifying gamble backfired for Red Bull in Brazil
Lydia Mee
Edited: Nov 8, 2025, 7:19 PM
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Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies revealed that the team opted for a bold approach ahead of the Brazil Grand Prix qualifying session after struggling since arriving at the circuit.
Unfortunately for the Milton Keynes outfit, the risk did not pay off. Max Verstappen qualified in 16th with his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in 19th.
"Obviously, nobody expected something like that," Mekies explained to Sky Sports F1. "We have been unhappy with the car since pretty much when we got here, and you heard our struggles through the practice session and sprint but nonetheless, we were at the point where we could not fight for the win but we could fight with the group just after.
"And it's fair to say that we took some more risk before qualifying to try to see if we could put the car in a better place and it obviously went the opposite direction. So, that's where we are now. It's sometimes the price you pay when you take a risk, you cannot always go your way. It's painful but it's something we can learn from and improve."
The team chief confirmed that the approach was bold, claiming "that's the way we go racing, and sometimes it hurts."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
"We did take some risks, we did change significantly the car because again that's the sort of risk you need to take if you want to give yourself a chance to put the car back in a window where it could fight for something bigger than where we were this morning," Mekies added.
"As we said it went the opposite direction so now we are where we are but no I would not say it was frightening, it's bold changes, we have been bold in our approach for a long time, that's the way we go racing and sometimes it hurts."
After the sprint race, Verstappen argued that he was in "no man's land" as he couldn't keep up with those ahead of him and, during grand prix qualifying, he complained of grip issues.
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