It was almost a trial by fire for Laurent Mekies. Arriving at the head of the Red Bull team last July, the French engineer had to make a choice for the 2026 season concerning the teammate of the irremovable Max Verstappen. While he replaced Liam Lawson after only two Grands Prix this year, Yuki Tsunoda was not convinced and will give up his seat to Isack Hadjar. Asked about this by the official Formula 1 website, the boss of the Austrian team made no secret of the fact that “it was a very difficult decision to make”. If he concedes that “the second seat at Red Bull is not easy”, he adds that it concerns “a complicated car to drive”.

Laurent Mekies states that his team “tried everything in (its) power to support Yuki Tsunoda”. But with only 22 points scored in 22 Grands Prix and a sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Japanese’s results have not spoken for him even if he will keep a link with the team based in Milton Keynes. “ At some point we had to make a difficult decision about the direction to take for the years to comeadded the French engineer during this interview. I hope Yuki Tsunoda gets another chance. He will be our reserve driver next season. »

Mekies does not close any door

Conceding that “ you never know what can happen », Laurent Mekies remembers what happened very early this season concerning the Japanese in a team renowned “for making fairly quick decisions” about drivers. “I am sure that each of us has already experienced setbacks and sometimes even difficult trials. It’s a setback for himconcedes the French leader. But I am convinced that he has within him the necessary resources to seize a new opportunity. » However, it will take a poor performance from Isack Hadjar at Red Bull or even Arvid Lindblad or Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls to see Yuki Tsunoda again at the wheel of a single-seater belonging to the Austrian group.