Max Verstappen caught Oscar Piastri on the opening lap and took the win in the F1 Sprint at the Belgian Grand Prix

New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies stressed that four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen is "central" to the project of bringing the team back to the top. "Max is central to the project and he's key to the project and we need his magic at the racetrack.

Mekies received a surprise call from Red Bull executives Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko just hours before the news was made public. “I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware,” Mekies told reporters at Spa on Friday. “I got a call from Oliver and Helmut, and they asked me if I would be interested to do the job.

Laurent Mekies might have faced an intense fortnight stepping into his new role as team principal, but he didn’t appear to be feeling the effects as he prepared to outline his vision.

Red Bull’s freshly appointed team principal Laurent Mekies has declared Max Verstappen as “central” to the outfit's long-term vision,

Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull received a last-minute upgrade before qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Japanese driver claimed seventh place on the grid, three-tenths of a second behind Max Verstappen, with Tsunoda taking his best grid position of his Red Bull tenure so far.

New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says his priority is to improve the car's performance to remove any doubts Max Verstappen has about staying with the team.