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Max Verstappen welcomed new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies to the race team on Saturday with an immaculate gift-wrapped triumph in the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Dutchman, who started from second on the grid, seized the lead on the opening lap and then resisted all threats from series leader Oscar Piastri, who had to defend attacks from McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who finished third.
It was a consummate performance from Verstappen, who ran with a low downforce set-up to give him a straight-line speed advantage – for which he was congratulated by Mekies, appointed on July 9 to replace Red Bull’s former boss Christian Horner, who was dismissed unexpectedly after 20 years at the helm.
“That worked out really well,” said a delighted Max Verstappen after thanking Mekies on the team radio.
“We got an opportunity at turn five and took it, and then it was tough to keep those two behind.
“It was cat and mouse with battery usage, and I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, although I had one lock-up – it is so difficult to keep faster cars behind, so it was all really at the limit. Not easy! But we did it.”
Laurent Mekies was equally satisfied.
“Max was brilliant and all the guys did a great job,” said the former boss of Reb Bull’s ‘B’ team, Racing Bulls. “He was under massive pressure, and he made almost no mistakes, and the team extracted everything from the car and the tyres.”
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