Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies reveals why Red Bull instructed Max Verstappen to give his position back to Lewis Hamilton. The moment followed a near-collision between the two and Verstappen having to go off track at the Madrid ring . According to Mekies, Red Bull did not want to wait for a possible penalty for the Dutchman: ‘And that could have cost us much more than the one or two places he had to give back’.
Max Verstappen ultimately crossed the finish line in second place in Madrid. And that while in the opening phase he still had to let Lewis Hamilton, and the Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead of him, pass. Red Bull instructed their driver to give his position to the seven-time world champion, after Verstappen earlier went off track in a battle with his former rival. However, for the team, that was not easy, as team principal Laurent Mekies reveals.
“At such a moment, it is always a painful and difficult decision. However, the guys at the pit wall looked at it very carefully. They quickly made an analysis,” the Frenchman tells F1TV. “We had to make the call quickly. Of course, we did not expect a thank-you email from Max in the car at that moment. However, we felt it was better to take the loss and then fight back.”
According to Mekies, Verstappen did the latter ‘excellently’. “We did not want to wait and risk bigger penalties that could have cost us much more later,” he further explains. “The stewards never decide to make drivers give positions back. We would have just received a time penalty of five or ten seconds. And if you imagine your race scenarios with a safety car or other circumstances, such a penalty can cost you much more than just one or two places.”
‘Second place was the maximum achievable’
Verstappen let Hamilton pass again before the Briton retired from the race. “Fortunately, Max gave the positions back before Lewis retired, allowing him to keep fighting in the race from that moment,” said the French team principal. “Of course, it is frustrating, but to be honest, I think P2 was absolutely the maximum achievable.”
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