Verstappen backs Mekies' Red Bull contract extension to 2031 but cautions Austin form is no guarantee

Mekies locked in until 2031

Red Bull have announced a five-year contract extension for Laurent Mekies, who will continue as the team's CEO and Team Principal until 2031. Sky Sports reported the deal, announced on 14 October, comes in the wake of Red Bull claiming their first two wins of the season over the preceding fortnight, both courtesy of Max Verstappen, in Malaysia and Singapore. ³

Mekies joined the senior team from sister outfit Racing Bulls in July 2025 after Christian Horner was sacked following 20 years in charge. Formula1.com notes the extension followed a slow start to 2026 under the new-for-2026 regulations — which included Red Bull building their own engines alongside Ford — with the team showing signs of progress under Mekies' leadership. ¹³

In a joint statement, Red Bull shareholders Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz said Mekies had played "a crucial role in guiding the team through an important period of transition while maintaining the competitive spirit and the Red Bull principles that define us", adding that the extension reflected their confidence in his leadership, according to Sky Sports. ³

Mekies himself said he was "incredibly proud to continue this journey with Oracle Red Bull Racing" and, pointing to the roles of Pierre Wache's and Ben Hodgkinson's teams in shaping the future, declared that "we genuinely believe this is only the beginning", as reported by Sky Sports. ³

Verstappen's endorsement

Speaking at Thursday's media day in Austin, Verstappen threw his support behind the extension. "It's been great news I think for everyone," he said, in remarks carried by Formula1.com. "He fully deserves it as well, he's a very hard worker and I think at times this year of course it has not been easy for him as well, but he's a good leader and I think also the atmosphere in the team is great, so it's only right to extend the contract." ¹

Ground News' syndicated summary of the story likewise noted that Verstappen credited Mekies with strong leadership and a positive team atmosphere in backing the deal through 2031. ²

A cautious view of Austin

Despite claiming what Formula1.com described as dominant victories in the previous two Grands Prix, Verstappen was careful not to promise a hat-trick at the Circuit of the Americas, a venue he noted is different to those in Malaysia and Singapore. "We had two really good weekends, which of course we're very happy with but that is no guarantee that the coming races are going to be like that as well," he said. ¹

Verstappen pointed to conditions as the key variable, per Formula1.com: "We had two very hot and humid races and it seemed like also our engine was performing well in these kinds of conditions and now we go of course to a very dry race." He added that many factors differ and that the team would take the weekend step by step, "we don't dream too much", while acknowledging limitations on what can be fixed on this year's car and hopes of improvement for 2027. ¹

From slow start to race-winning form

The backdrop to the extension is a striking turnaround. In August, when Verstappen signed his own contract extension with Red Bull through 2030, Formula1.com reported the team had dropped down the pecking order under the new regulations, with Verstappen yet to win in 2026 and having finished on the podium on four occasions. Mekies told Formula1.com at the Dutch Grand Prix that the team had closed a gap of "a bit more than one second off the pace at the beginning of the year" to "probably now in the last three-tenths", boosted by updates to the RB22. ⁴⁶

That deficit has since been converted into results. Sky Sports reported that Red Bull's Malaysia and Singapore triumphs were the team's first wins of the season and lifted them to fourth in the Constructors' Championship, within seven points of third-placed McLaren, in what is shaping up as a competitive end to their first year as an engine manufacturer. ³

Sky Sports also noted the Mekies renewal rounds out a series of Red Bull contract moves: Verstappen extended his deal to 2030 in August, while Isack Hadjar received a renewal into 2027 after impressing in his first season at Milton Keynes. ESPN reported at the time that Verstappen's extension ended months of speculation in which he had been linked with Mercedes, Aston Martin and McLaren, and followed reported performance-based exit clauses in his previous deal running to 2028. ³⁵

Austin next in the triple header

The United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas runs 23–25 October and opens an Americas triple header, as flagged by Sky Sports. Verstappen arrives with two consecutive victories behind him and, per Formula1.com, a deliberately measured outlook: the team knows it wants to improve significantly on the car it cannot change for this year, with hopes fixed on next season. ¹³