F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Mekies welcomes prospect of difficult Red Bull driver calls

Red Bull’s team principal says a future need to make difficult calls between Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar would be a sign of strength.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:54 · 1 min

Laurent Mekies says Red Bull would welcome a situation in which it has to make difficult decisions between Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Speaking to Sky F1 in remarks reported by RacingNews365 on 2 October, the team principal said such a choice would mean Red Bull was in a strong position.

Mekies said both drivers had worked towards the best team result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. When Hadjar was following Verstappen, Red Bull did not instruct Verstappen to let him through. Verstappen finished second and Hadjar third.

Mekies also praised Hadjar’s race pace and racecraft after a six-week absence. His comments about difficult decisions concerned possible future races, rather than an instruction given in Azerbaijan.

Sources 01

SOURCERed Bull reveal 'wish' that would make Max Verstappen uncomfortableRacingNews365 English · Source date as found: 2026-10-02

Source context

RacingNews365’s 2 October report relays Mekies’s remarks to Sky F1 and provides the account of the Azerbaijan race.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

RacingNews365 identifies Laurent Mekies as Red Bull’s team principal and reports that, in remarks it attributes to Sky F1, he would regard a future need for difficult decisions between the drivers as a sign of a strong position. His wish is conditional; it does not establish that such a decision has been made.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Mekies’s attributed view on a possible future choice between Red Bull drivers Reported on 2 October 2026; concerning possible future races. The original Sky F1 interview was not supplied.

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Mekies said both drivers were committed to maximising the team result in the preceding race. That is his assessment of that race, not evidence of an agreement about future team orders.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Mekies’s assessment of the drivers’ cooperation The Azerbaijan Grand Prix preceding the 2 October 2026 report. Reported by RacingNews365 as part of Mekies’s remarks; the original interview was not supplied.

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RacingNews365 reports that Red Bull did not order Verstappen to let Hadjar through when Hadjar was following him at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and that they finished second and third respectively.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported Azerbaijan Grand Prix result and position-swap decision The Azerbaijan Grand Prix preceding 2 October 2026. The race account is from the sole supplied publication; an official classification was not supplied.

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According to RacingNews365, Mekies praised Hadjar’s Azerbaijan performance after a six-week absence, particularly his race pace and racecraft. This is Mekies’s assessment, not an independently measured comparison with Verstappen.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Mekies’s assessment of Hadjar’s return The Azerbaijan Grand Prix preceding 2 October 2026. RacingNews365 quotes Mekies via Sky F1; no interview recording or independent performance analysis was supplied.

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Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:54

De tekst verduidelijkt dat Red Bull Verstappen niet opdroeg Hadjar voorbij te laten toen Hadjar achter hem reed. De eerdere plaatswissel wordt daarmee niet meer ten onrechte uitgesloten.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.