Verstappen initiated an emergency meeting before Suzuka.

      "Many individuals desire to work from home..."

      Max Verstappen called for a recent emergency technical meeting at Red Bull's Milton-Keynes factory, prior to achieving his first win from pole position at Suzuka. Given the clear pace and handling issues with the 2025 car, amidst swirling rumors that the four-time world champion may leave the team, Verstappen is currently receiving exceptional acclaim for his efforts under challenging circumstances.

      "I didn't anticipate this one," advisor Dr. Helmut Marko confessed to De Telegraaf at Suzuka. "I was too apprehensive. Max drove 53 qualifying laps at the limit. Nobody else can do that. It was incredible."

      Fernando Alonso, not typically known for complimenting competitors, referred to Verstappen's qualifying lap at Suzuka as "magical." When questioned if he personally felt as special about his performance as others in the paddock, the 27-year-old Verstappen conceded late on Sunday: "Yes, it does."

      Regarding the multitude of accolades being directed his way, he remarked: "It's nice, but I tend to avoid focusing on the positives or negatives. I remain neutral, you know." Verstappen also shared with Viaplay after the Japanese GP, where he narrowed the points gap to Lando Norris to a single point: "I’m very satisfied with my performance. I don’t even want to contemplate what it would be like in that other car," referring to the leading McLaren. "Then you wouldn’t have seen me again."

      The interviewer joked that he would be in Tokyo by the time second place crossed the finish line: "Perhaps, yes," the Dutchman laughed. "But it doesn’t matter, because that's not going to happen."

      Verstappen is more closely associated with future prospects at Mercedes or Aston Martin, as he maintains that despite his pole position win at Suzuka, the issues with the 2025 Red Bull are "not resolved." Marko detailed that Red Bull engineers had modified "every bolt" on the RB21 throughout the weekend, shortly after they convened for vital technical discussions—where Verstappen was present—at Milton-Keynes.

      Verstappen acknowledged he insisted that the meeting occur onsite, with no participation via video link. "Do you know what the problem is in the world today?" he told Viaplay. "Many people want to work from home instead of from the factory. I believe that’s a significant issue. It results in laziness and distraction, causing a lack of full focus on the tasks at hand. The same goes for meetings; sometimes it's beneficial to look people in the eye. It’s old-school communication."

      One result of last week’s in-person meeting was the assignment of a new engineer to Verstappen’s side of the garage—Sergio Perez’s former race engineer, Hugh Bird. "I collaborate very well with GP," he noted, referring to Gianpiero Lambiase, "and I also had another performance engineer this weekend, Hugh Bird. I worked with Hugh previously, until 2020," Verstappen elaborated. "That partnership was very successful. Ultimately, we made the right choices before heading into qualifying."