Mekies explains why Red Bull told Verstappen to give back places in Madrid

Laurent Mekies has defended Red Bull’s decision to instruct Max Verstappen to surrender positions after his first-corner clash with Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

Verstappen started third and became involved with Hamilton immediately after the lights went out. Although the Ferrari driver moved ahead, Verstappen retained his position only by cutting the first turn. He argued over team radio that Hamilton had “almost shunted him” and initially resisted the request to give the place back, particularly after he had overtaken Kimi Antonelli for second.

Red Bull eventually told Verstappen to allow both Antonelli and Hamilton through. The decision briefly dropped the Dutchman down the order, but he soon returned to the top three after Hamilton suffered a brake problem and was forced to retire. Verstappen later benefited from the timing of a Virtual Safety Car during his pit stop and finished second behind Antonelli.

The outcome made the call look costly in the short term, but Mekies said Red Bull had prioritised avoiding a potentially more damaging sanction. Speaking to F1 TV, the team principal said the team did not expect a “thank you email from Max in the car”, but believed it was better to accept the loss immediately and recover on track.

“Better to take the pain at that moment and to fight back after, rather than wait and risk a bigger penalty,” Mekies explained.

Mekies: waiting could have cost Red Bull more

The Red Bull boss said Verstappen would otherwise have faced a five- or 10-second penalty, with the final decision at the stewards’ discretion. A Safety Car or other race interruption could then have amplified the impact beyond the positions surrendered on the opening lap.

“We would have simply been penalized either five seconds or ten seconds at their discretion,” Mekies said. “If you can imagine race scenarios with a Safety Car or other circumstances, it can cost you a lot more than a position or two.”

Mekies also underlined his confidence that Verstappen could recover, and praised the way he continued the race at the Madring. Verstappen later said the clash reflected the nature of the track and that, once the team’s decision had been made, he focused on racing.

The result represented Red Bull’s best possible outcome, according to Mekies. Verstappen’s second place left him sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with 145 points, while stand-in team-mate Liam Lawson finished ninth. Red Bull therefore travels to Baku fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. The wider Madrid picture is explored in the Spanish Grand Prix race strategy analysis.