Huge relief for top Red Bull boss after Verstappen's fantastic performance
· Yahoo Sports
Inside Red Bull Racing there is huge relief that the updates to the RB22 are working and that Max Verstappen was able to fight for the win in Austria. In a weekend where the Dutchman finished second at the Austrian Grand Prix, the team can be satisfied they have not provided any reason for him to leave the team at the end of the season.
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While the Red Bull Racing team members celebrated in the pit lane after Verstappen’s second place, Oliver Mintzlaff — the CEO of Corporate Projects and New Investments at Red Bull GmbH — crossed the few meters from the Energy Station to the back of the garage.
Mintzlaff has never been a man of many words; the person ultimately responsible for the Red Bull Racing team prefers to stay far away from the spotlight. Talking to the media is certainly not something the German does often. But after Verstappen’s second place, he broke into a big smile, and answered a question from GPblog. “Was this what you needed?” the executive was asked, to which Mintzlaff responded with a big thumbs-up. “Yes! Perfect!” he beamed, before heading into the celebrations.
Red Bull gave Verstappen a reason to stay
Mintzlaff’s sentiment (and likely that of the entire Red Bull leadership) was understandable. For weeks they have been trying to convince Verstappen to honour his contract through the end of 2028. As is well known, the Dutchman has openly expressed doubts about that after a season start in which he was often far from the podium places.
Only if Verstappen saw the development at Red Bull that he had in mind would he consider staying with the Austrian team as an option.
In that light, Mintzlaff must have viewed the second place — a whisker behind winner George Russell — as significant. The German had seen that Red Bull’s updates and weight-loss program worked; at least in Austria. “A lot of very hard work by a lot of people,” a senior Red Bull Racing official cited as the reason for the huge upswing, and not any specific functionality on the RB22. “We never give up.”
The expectation in the F1 paddock now is that Verstappen will stay with Red Bull next season. In any case, options at other teams are limited (if not impossible). But if the result at the Red Bull Ring proves not to be a one-off and Verstappen can consistently fight Mercedes, then there is no reason for the four-time champion to leave.
Mintzlaff must have realised that too, during that moment before he walked into the Red Bull Racing garage. There may still be a few more conversations needed, perhaps an extra financial incentive. But Red Bull is well on its way to achieving its main objective of the season: keeping Verstappen.