Formula 1 Hungarian GP
Why Red Bull believes Max Verstappen is wrong to say he won't win again in F1 2025
A very disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix weekend led to the four-time world champion claiming that Red Bull will not win another race this year, amid McLaren dominance
Ed Hardy Ronald Vording
Published: Aug 4, 2025, 1:47 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has rebuffed claims made by his world champion driver Max Verstappen that the team will fail to win again in the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Verstappen said on Saturday that “the way things are going right now”, Red Bull will not add to the two grand prix victories it has this year after qualifying a disappointing eighth in Hungary.
He eventually finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in ninth with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda 17th, keeping Red Bull fourth in the championship, while McLaren once again dominated scoring its seventh 1-2 of 2025.
But Mekies, for whom Hungary was just his second round as Red Bull boss, believes the Hungaroring was just an outlier as the week before Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix sprint.
“It was a tough weekend,” said Mekies when Verstappen’s comment was put to him. “I don't think what you see this weekend represents where the car is at.
“We accept the fact that we are probably not very strong on tracks like here, but what we have seen today was outstanding.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“So, if you look, no question McLaren are faster, but look at Spa, Max was able to fight certainly on Saturday and surprise everyone in the sprint. So, let's see.
“The season is still very long. Even if car development is going to heavily slow down or is pretty much going to be minimum from now on, we still have a lot of things we can learn, as this weekend showed.
“And through that, as difficult and as uncomfortable as it is, fundamentally you learn through these sorts of weekends. So better to have them early on.
“We will learn and if we are able to extract a bit more of the car, thanks to weekends like today, then hopefully we can put up a better fight.”
The entire Budapest weekend was a struggle for Red Bull, which didn’t even finish a practice session above ninth – leading Verstappen to claim that “nothing works” on the RB21.
But Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also thinks the issues were specific to the Hungary weekend, adding “I don’t think it will happen again” – a sentiment Mekies doubled down on, as high-speed circuits are the team’s strength.
Read Also:
Formula 1Red Bull reveals cause of Hungarian GP meltdown
Formula 1Max Verstappen claims "nothing works" for Red Bull at tough Hungarian GP
“I'm also quite confident that it's a one-off,” Mekies added. “It will not change the fact that we have a narrow window.
“But I think to be dramatically out of it like that, I'm also quite confident that with all the tests we've done this weekend, including into the race, I'm quite confident also that it will be a one-off.
“And to Helmut's point, it is true that it was mainly a slow-speed and a mid-speed matter.
“Therefore, it points towards more tyre usage and the tyre being switched on more than our performance.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Ferrari at a loss to explain Charles Leclerc's Hungarian GP collapse
Next article Lewis Hamilton’s age “a hurdle” in current F1 struggles, says Anthony Davidson
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ed Hardy
George Russell launches karting academy
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
George Russell launches karting academy
Formula E postpones Jeddah E-Prix with Mexico now the season opener
Formula E
Formula E 1 d
Formula E postpones Jeddah E-Prix with Mexico now the season opener
More from
Max Verstappen
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 10 h
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Red Bull Racing
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Latest news
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 3 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 3 h
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
4 h
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe