Laurent Mekis: It’s great that we are back in the fight.

      In Montreal, Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies spoke about the team's progress and changes in regulations...

      Question: There are rumors that you are negotiating with Oscar Piastri about moving to Red Bull?

      Laurent Mekies: There are various rumors, but we are happy with our lineup, and choosing a driver is not a top priority at this moment. We have Max, who is helping us get through a difficult start to the season. There’s Isaac – he is doing very well in his role. In the first three races, the difference between them on track was minimal; there were some difficulties in Miami, but here he has regained the necessary pace. We are very pleased with our drivers.

      Question: Are you not worried that Max might move to McLaren following Gianpiero Lambiase?

      Laurent Mekies: No, I am not worried about that. Max has told us that he is happy at Red Bull, and we won’t be asking every week if he plans to leave. Max is involved in all our strategic decisions; he is at the center of the project. He is striving for success with us, and we both want the same thing – to create a car capable of winning. And he plays a key role in that.

      Question: Did you watch his 24-hour race at the Nürburgring last weekend?

      Laurent Mekies: We agreed that he wouldn’t show me particularly risky moments, just so we wouldn’t worry about it. In fact, it was spectacular. He missed out on victory at the very end but showed excellent speed. He returned with a big smile, full of motivation for this Grand Prix – and that’s what matters.

      Question: Do you get nervous watching your main asset race at the Nordschleife?

      Laurent Mekies: We genuinely support Max in his endeavors. It’s wonderful that he loves this sport in all its aspects. We breathe a sigh of relief when his race ends and we know he will get on a plane and return to the team. But overall, it’s positive for motorsport, for Max, and for the team.

      Question: In Miami, many, including your team, made significant progress. Are you confident you can build on that success in Montreal?

      Laurent Mekies: We don’t think it will be an easy and pleasant path with a gradual reduction of the gap in each race. There will be challenges. The balance of power will change as teams prepare their updates. What’s encouraging is that in Miami we got back into the fight. Yes, we are striving for more, but it confirms that we have managed to address most of the difficulties we faced at the start of the season. Now we need to move forward.

      Question: Is there a unified view regarding the power unit for the 2027 season? Do Red Bull Powertrains support these changes?

      Laurent Mekies: We support any step initiated by our sport that will lead to us competing at full speed in qualifying and the race. At Red Bull Ford Powertrains, we certainly support this change. It’s very uncomfortable to make changes to a project at such a late stage, so the details are being widely discussed now. But we are certainly happy to step out of this comfort zone for the good of the sport. Work is ongoing. I’m sure we will find the right solution.

      Question: Yesterday, Max Verstappen indicated that he is pleased with how the regulations are developing and that he is being listened to. Do you think his future career in Formula 1 depends on changes in the regulations?

      Laurent Mekies: Max cares about the sport, and the reason he speaks out so loudly is that he genuinely cares about Formula 1 remaining the pinnacle of motorsport. And he wants to see, I’m sure like most of you, a battle in qualifying at full speed. He wants the fastest drivers to be able to attack in corners as hard as they can without losing time on the lap. And he has been listened to, as you said. From the stakeholders, from the FIA, from Formula 1, from all the teams, there has been fantastic openness; everyone said, “Yes, we need to do something about this.” And therefore, I’m sure it was encouraging for him and for all of us to see that we are all ready to take steps to fix the situation, and I think that’s important for the sport.

      Question: After the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA wants to make a decision on ADUO, but there are already many intrigues surrounding this issue. Toto Wolff says it’s only needed by one manufacturer, referring to Honda, while Charles Leclerc says, “Well, we are even conceding to Red Bull Ford.” Where do you think you stand in this hierarchy?

      Laurent Mekies: We believe that the guys from Red Bull Ford Powertrains have done an amazing job getting us to the grid in a position to compete. That’s just phenomenal. Secondly, if you look at the gap to the best, today we believe that Mercedes is leading in power units, ahead of everyone else, which is eight cars. We believe there is a group behind them, where we see ourselves, Ferrari, Audi. Don’t ask me to name numbers because that would be speculation, but we see a consistent gap from the Mercedes-powered cars. It would be fair to say that Honda is lagging even further behind. How all this will fit into the FIA's decision on ADUO, we will find out soon.