P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen was “across all of the big decisions” made by Red Bull in the last few weeks.
F1 reporter Lawrence Barretto revealed that Max Verstappen was informed of Christian Horner’s impending Red Bull sack before it was officially announced. Verstappen had a meeting with Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff during the British Grand Prix weekend, indicating his involvement in the decision-making process behind the scenes. Horner’s dismissal came after the Austrian Grand Prix and was seen as an effort to retain Verstappen and prevent him from switching to Mercedes. Laurent Mekies has been appointed as Horner’s successor, which Barretto believes will be beneficial for Verstappen and fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda. The move is expected to provide support for Tsunoda, who has struggled with Red Bull’s RB21 car, with Barretto suggesting that Mekies’ management could help improve Tsunoda’s performance in future races.
