Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies explained why he downplayed his contribution towards the team’s stunning Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix triumph.
The Frenchman oversaw the team’s first win in four months at Monza, his first since succeeding Christian Horner as Red Bull Team Principal and CEO.
Max Verstappen dominated proceedings from Saturday onwards, taking the pole position in what was the fastest ever F1 lap of all time.
And on Sunday, the Dutchman streaked clear of the field to win by nearly 20 seconds, and add another piece of history – heading the fastest ever Grand Prix recorded.
Mekies was praised by Verstappen for his engineering background giving the team additional insight into how to improve its car, thus enabling its victory at Monza.
But Mekies denied any significant influence on his part, telling media including Motorsport Week: “The answer is a very easy one. The level of contribution is zero.
“And I’m not joking either. It’s 1,500 people working on making that car faster.
“So these are the addition of these talents that make the car faster, that make the hundreds and make the thousands.
“And make the set of options available and make the new components available. So the short answer is zero.”
Verstappen stated that Mekies is “asking the right questions to the engineers” due to his own experience, which has been a catalyst in driving the team forward.
When pushed further, and asked if he is asking the right questions of the engineers, Mekies still refused to take additional credit, saying his job is to make sure the personnel within the ranks are given the opportunity to make use of their abilities.
“You know, our only role is to make sure that the talents we have are put in the right conditions to express their talent as best,” he added.
“That’s the only thing we are doing. That’s the extent of the contribution and that’s it, nothing more.”
READ MORE – From ‘monster’ car to F1 record breakers: How Red Bull made remarkable Italian GP turnaround
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